• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes LOGO

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
    • National Trails System
    • National Parks
    • State Parks
    • Travel Gear
    • Follow our Journeys
  • Gear
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
    • National Trails System
    • National Parks
    • State Parks
    • Travel Gear
    • Follow our Journeys
  • Gear
BBQ at Col. Poole's, Ellijay

Zero Days Aren’t

April 15, 2012    Sandra Friend

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
Email
BBQ at Col. Poole's, Ellijay
BBQ at Col. Poole’s, Ellijay
Long distance hikers take “zero days” – that is, days where you don’t hike any trail miles – to take care of off-trail tasks like grocery shopping, laundry, medical visits, and the like. Usually zero days include eating better food than you can haul along the trail – or food you wouldn’t normally eat in the woods, like pizza and ribs, burgers and ice cream – and they always involve logistics. There’s the getting TO town, getting back to the trail FROM town, and getting AROUND town without a car.

The last time I walked into a hotel with just a backpack on me was in India or Greece with my sister Sal over a decade ago. So it was a bit of deja vu to do so in Hiawassee, GA. It was our second zero day, the first being my birthday, and that first zero day was such a flurry of activity due to gear shopping atop all else that it wasn’t very restful at all  – other than our friends carting us around, which was nicer than having to drive!  In Hiawassee, we tried to relax a little. We ordered dinner in on the first night, soaked a little in the hot tub, and slept in for two days in a row in a puffy soft bed. But we still had to walk all over to shop, eat, and take care of business. A lot to cram into a day.

My friend Gutsy said it best: “If you’re going to take a zero, lie in bed all day, put your feet up, and read a book!”  So far, we haven’t taken the time for that. I’m writing these blog posts when we get into a town, John’s compressing toilet paper off a roll. we’re packing up groceries and figuring out mileages and camping for the upcoming week. Zero days never mean zero effort. They’re still a lot of work, even if the work is mental rather than muscular.  But they are a welcome break from the routine of hiking.

Category: Appalachian Trail, ArticlesTag: AT

Previous Post: «Sunset on Blue Mountain The Corona Effect
Next Post: The Memory of Feet View from Albert Mountain»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hammock Hanger

    April 15, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    Ah yes, the phantom zero day. Sometimes I would return to the woods much more fatigued by my zero day, then a hiking day. My very best zero days were hanging at some beautiful location IN the woods, doing nothing! Glad you are still enjoying and moving northbound.

    Sue/HH

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Camping & Long Treks

  • Florida Trail Adventures
  • Appalachian Trail
  • What it’s like to hike the Big O Hike

AT Resources

  • Appalachian Trail Conservancy
  • The AT Guide
  • Trailjournals

Our Newest Books

50 Hikes in Central Florida
Explorers Guide North Florida Panhandle
Florida Trail Guide
The Florida Trail coffee table book
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala
Five Star Trails Orlando

Footer

FIND YOUR WAY

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Amelia Island. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Micanopy. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2019, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact