Through the magic of the United States Postal Service, from early March:
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Pencil and Paper Journal #2
Through the magic of the United States Postal Service, from early March:
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Alone on the crapper.
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Squeak and WD40 on Rocky Bald.
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Trail angel -(n.) One who waits on the trail with refreshments
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First time I woke up and saw the sun in four days. ::Big sigh::
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Friday, March 13, 2009
North Carolina!
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Sarge
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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Journaling, pt. 1:
Day 1: Thursday, March 5th- Off to a Running Start (12.1 mi.)
Dad sent me off right, when we planted a car at Hightower Gap (9.2 miles down the trail) with my pack in it. We were shuttled from there, around to the trailhead, at 0.9 mi from the summit of Springer Mtn., the official southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT).
As usual, Dad made better time than anyone else I've ever seen at his age. He should be hiking this with me, but I've seen at least 4 other thruhikers that are older than him that seem pretty ready to succeed, so he'll still have chances to bag this trail in the future.
Right after he left, the trail got a little more rugged and steep. A lot of Georgia has been just meandering sidehilled trail, with very moderate ups and downs, bare trees and lots of sun drying me out. Near water, there are cool rhododendron "tunnels" that give the feeling of interior space.
I stayed the night on Sassafrass Mountain, at the 11.2 mile mark from the summit of Springer, hangin' in my hammock about 1/4 mile past a group of three older men, who I would later learn the thruhikers were calling "the three old men". Apt, guys... very apt.
Day 2: Friday, March 6th- Touch and go with Three Old Men (10.8 mi)
My first morning on the trial, I get up early early early (by my previous 'civilization' standards), to avoid embarrassment due to my pathetic bear bag hanging skills... I'm not too worried about that, though. I've got plenty of time to practice. Before 7AM, two of the three old men walk by and give a friendly wave. About ten minutes later, the other old man comes by and strikes up a conversation about the wind that came through that night.
"Yep- pretty cold!"
I said, muffled by a toothbrush.
On the next summit, he was leaning against a giant log, moaning about how old he was, so I figured I should introduce myself.
"Th' name's L-Train."
"I go by Outlaw, and I'm here with my buddies, but they're up ahead, waitin' on me."
"You guy walking to Maine?"
"Ohh, no no no no.... I only gotta make it to Neel's Gap. We're section hikin'"
"Well, another couple'a weeks of this, and you'd be spry and ready for the whole hike!"
"Mah- I gotta wife and stuff- I don't reckon she'd like that too much."
"Well, Outlaw- it's nice to meet you, but I'm gonna keep on."
"See you up the trail."
I'd never see Outlaw again, but I'd catch up to his buddies at the next water source. It was off and on with the other two all day. At Gooch Gap, those two were sitting on a log, waiting for Outlaw and smoking cigars. They offered one up for me, and offered a beer, too.
"I'll take a beer!" (surprised that they'd been carrying beer over mountains)
"Oh, I was just kidding about the beer. That's pretty cruel, isn't it?"
"Mah... You should always carry hard liquor before beer. Its lighter."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point there. We drank through that two nights ago."
As the day went on, I crossed Woody Gap on GA 60. This was the first chance to call back to the hiker hostel and stay another night indoors. I was strong. I prevailed over the temptation and walked on. In all of the guidebooks, there are safety sections. Its suggested that if you're walking alone, you should camp at least one mile from any road, which I did. I went up and over Big Cedar Mountain and was coming down the other side into Dan Gap, but found some water before that and camped in a really random spot, invisible from the trail... In trail crew, we called this a "ninja camp", because anyone else using the trail would never know we were there. My kitchen was a giant blowdown.
That night was warmer and less windy, but there was a racket from a group of owls in the area for a long time. They might be Barred Owls, I'm not sure. At one point, a crazy hyper squirrel came by and tried to get into my food, but I was clearly the dominant species, when I scared it off with a "tsk!"
Day 3: Saturday, March 7th- Making Friends at Neels Gap (8.7 mi)
That morning, I woke up early again with a bit of a dehydration headache. My water treatment hadn't been working for me, because of some bad batteries, so Mom and Dad should be expecting a shipment of some batteries, compliments of SteriPEN on their doorstep, soon. I boiled and boiled and boiled my drinking water, getting me off to a bit of a late start, but by lunch time, I'd already composed a poem about stuff going on around me, and bagged two moderate Georgia mountains.
My body already started to hone some kind of internal clock, where everything happens at the same time every day. "Elevensies" is my first lunch. I'm sitting there slicing off another chunk of kielbasa, as a young, tired, stalky fellow walks up and starts right in with conversation about how his SteriPEN isn't working! This is how I met 'Alone on the Summit' (aka Justin McCoy).
"Yeah- I have similar issues."
He had been hiking with all cold foods, so he didn't have to carry a stove. I guess his dinner didn't agree with him the night before, so I gave him some chewable Maalox and offered up some cheese and crackers or kielbasa, but he was all set.
It took me a few minutes to straighten my pack and get ready to walk again, but he waited, talking the whole time about his experiences in the Sierra Nevadas, Mt. Whitney, his thyroid problem... man, this boy could taaalk! If I wanted peace and quiet, you'd never know it, because I just perpetuated the conversation, because all I'd talked to was myself and some squirrels for two days.
He did mention that the next good stopping point was Neel's Gap, but they were probably going to fill up that night, since they don't have that many beds in their hostel. I was unaware that there were beds, showers and laundry facilities five miles ahead. I threw on the afterburners. I was up and over my first 4,000 footer in less than two hours, racing to get a bunk before it filled up. I passed three other thruhikers on the way. If you hike with me, you know I can get down a mountain FAST.
Neels Gap was RIDICULOUS. I mean that the best way possible. My pack was given the 'shakedown' treatment, where they find everything unnecessary or useless and have you send it home. I've talked to people who lost 12lbs doing that. I bought a rain cover for my pack... not out of guilt, but because I'd been using garbage bags for 20 years, and I figured it was time to make the investment. My pack didn't have too much extra weight. I lost about 2lbs from their shakedown. I think they were impressed with my minimalism.
That night was fun. After a shower and laundry cycle, the band got set up outside, and the catering showed up. Someone brought out a keg. It was my dumb luck that the "hiker season kickoff party" happened the exact night that I was there. This brought in a lot of thruhikers that had more of a clue than I did. That night, I met "Baltimore Andy", and named him "Wrangler", because he wants to handle the two poisonous snakes they have on the AT (copperheads and rattlers). He's since asked me to hold the camera, and I told him "no."
"Broadcast" is a lanky southerner from Charlotte, NC, who plans on hiking the first 150 miles of the trail. He got his name by suggesting that you 'broadcast' your toothpaste when you spit, so it leaves no trace. I guess the demonstration was funny enough to be named after.
Jordan (from Merrit Island, FL) just got his name "Simba", after Broadcast was telling him the beautiful message in the story of the Lion King. He changed it to that from "Mufasa", after he learned that Mufasa dies in the first 10 minutes of the movie (hehe). Simba's a wicked fast hiker, but probably the youngest of anyone I've been hiking with at age 22-ish.
Steven Speilberg.
I don't even know this guy's real name, because his trail name is so apt. He walks around with a tiny digital video camera, recording what happens at all times. One time, all of us were standing around talking at a water source, and he walks over with the cam, narrating:
"Here, we have a chat around the proverbial water cooler..." He's got a perfect pace for me to keep up with, but he keeps humming Greatful Dead songs, which drives me nuts. Hippies. Tsk.
Groovy.
Speaking of hippies, Groovy is the easily underestimated hobo style hiker. This guy uses a canvas army backpack and jeans. There is no hipbelt, and the shoulder straps are padded with not-so-white cotton socks. He gets his name, because every time somebody says something he agrees with, he says "Groovy." All the rag tag gear aside, he still made it to Hiawassee at least a day ahead of me.
Radio Freq.
An older man, this guy's a retired radio engineer. He has a nice character voice, so its not surprising he used to have a radio show. We've exchanged a bit about our DJing days. He walks alone and at his own 'old man' pace, but covers almost exactly the same mileage as me and my little 'pack'. I see him about every other night.
Chestnut.
A middle aged fellow I've seen on and off. I think he's stopping in different towns than I am. He went into town at Unicoi gap, looking for some Prilosec. I guess he has a prescription, and he had to live on Rolaids for a while, which didn't go over well for him. He's a really smiley dude and I hope his medical needs don't keep him from finishing the trail.
Brickyard.
This guy's a little bit older (mid 40's, probably), stalky and smokes whenever he gets a chance. He's been a bartender and an alcoholic for most of his adult life. I think a big reason he's on the trail is to walk off his addiction. I'll keep you posted there. He seems pretty harmless and has the same juvenile sense of humor as all the 20-somethings. His most recent career involves masonry, which is how he came up with his name.
Colonel Mustard
A retired army colonel, he fits in with the older thruhikers. He's really nice and talks about how he misses his wife, but he's been hobbling with bad knees at a snail's pace out of Neels Gap. I keep leaving notes for him, hoping he's on the mend by now.
Mule.
Mule is a quiet recluse that sat and watched a lot of movies during all the commotion at Neels Gap. He did come out for the food, once that was ready, but went to bed very early. This guy thruhiked to Pennsylvania last year and something cut his journey short, so he's back and determined NOT to be categorized as a section hiker. He wears a skirt of Tyvek at all times. I have a feeling he reaches a very high daily mileage, because I was touch and go with him the next day after Neels Gap, but never saw him again.
Poke Weed.
A middle aged woman, she's got a little case of the empty nest stuff going on, but she sent her son to go live with her mom for a while, due to her mom always worrying. We talked about worried moms for a while, but came to the conclusion that having a worried mom is nicer than having one that doesn't care. Poke Weed named herself, due to her slow pace. It was nice to have someone to walk with in the end of day 3 (after Neels Gap) because my knees started to bother me and I was poking along with her.
Day 4: Saturday, March 8th- Over Nameless Peaks with a Pack of People (10.8 mi.)
Coming out of Neels Gap, I felt good having met all these other hikers. We've been kind of feeding off eachother's energy since then. Colonel Mustard stayed behind to nurse the knee, but over the course of the day, it was fun to run into Groovy, Simba, Chestnut, Speilberg, Wrangler, Broadcast, Brickyard, Radio Freq, Alone at the Summit, Mule, Poke Weed and a new acquaintance, Qtip... many of us just kind of doing our own thing, but most of us ended out staying at the same 'Low Gap' shelter. I think the other 4 southbound weekend warriors were surprised to run into all those thruhikers. Every place I've stayed since Neels Gap has looked like a giant tent city.
Three of those 'short timers' were young seniors from none other than the lovely University of Vermont! They were glad to hear my stories about working on the Green Mountain Club and the circumstances that led me to hiking the AT. I was glad to see more outdoor enthusiasts from Burlington, but wondered... 'why Georgia?' I guess they don't have a lot of winter gear, so they found some place warm to walk.
Late late late, that night, a group showed up from the University of Georgia. Three young dudes and two southern gals started their backpacking trip a little too late, that day. I think they were alarmed at the number of tents that were out.
Day 5: Sunday, March 9th- A Night at the Cheese Factory (13 mi.)
I don't know why, but that day was a total cake walk. I made about two extra miles that day without batting an eye. It could be all the energy everyone gets by hiking with other people. There also weren't any huge summits to conquer, so that probably had something to do with it.
I ended out at the Cheese Factory campsite with the U of GA group, Steven Speilberg, Broadcast, Wrangler and Simba... and we coaxed Brickyard into walking another couple miles when we reached his campsite he had already set up at 4PM next to Radio Freq and a few others. That night was all about the campfire.
I had the ABSOLUTE BEST hammock site, that night. All the tents were over on a flat section, but I was just down the side of the knoll, with views of the valley. I was situated just over the crest of the ridge on the lee side, so the tarp was low on the uphill side, giving me perfect privacy from the campfire, but the other side of the tarp was folded up for ventilation and views of the stars and the valley.
I called mom and dad, so they'd know I was having a good time.
We got to meet those kids from U of GA quite a bit. It turns out the girls in their group had never gone backpacking, before! They just did a 13 mile day with full packs and barely batted a southern eyelash. Awesome. The guys seemed to be seasoned outdoor enthusiasts.
One of the girls, "Vomitron" was earned because of an unfortunate experience with some shrimp flavored ramen. The other girl, "Dirt Girl" was named so, because at lunch, she was sunning herself in a dusty sunny area and had dirt on her for most of the rest of the day.
I liked the name "Vomitron", because it sounds like a name of a character in the Transformers.
(heheee)
The guys just go by the names their momma gave 'em: John, Matt and Jason.
Day 6: Monday, March 10th- Getting ready for Hiawassee (9.5 mi.)
A late start, after all that campfirin', and now its daylight savings as of two days ago, I hear...
We, the thruhiker collective decide that it will be far safer to spend one more night in the woods, rather than everyone trying to find a ride into town after dark. We spend the night at Deep Gap Shelter, just 3 miles from the road into town. Basically, we're just looking forward to stuff like all you can eat buffets and ICBs.
At Deep Gap, I run into two young female bffs hiking the trail together, Molly and Meghan (Team M&M). I also met Maggie, the Californian girl that has the most in common with me that I've seen. Its refreshing, but she has knee issues and has been doing about 7 mi/day. I'm trying to get her hooked on the glucosamine revolution.
Day 7: Wednesday, March 11th- Honeymoon Suite in Hiawassee (3 mi.)
Whew... a quick jaunt down to the gap, and many of us were waiting for a shuttle to take us into town for lunch, laundry, all you can eat, all that fun civilization stuff... there's a library, where I'm sitting right now, typing all this to you...
In the shuttle, there were four of us gals. I just met these young teenage bffs, Meghan and Molly. They didn't talk much the night before at the shelter, so I didn't get to know them until we were waiting at the road for the shuttle. Turns out, the guy running the hiker-oriented inn has a honeymoon suite that usually fits four thruhikers, with all the couches and stuff. We had a hottub, though we never used it, but it was fun to laugh about it. I thought I was timing this just right to see a new LOST episode, but I guess this is an off-week, and they just played a rerun.
To that, I say:
"Boo, Hiss
boo, hiss...
I came out of the woods, for this?"
Many of us are rearin' to find our first chance to see 'Watchmen'. Groovy had already looked up the listings by the time I showed up and tried to find a cab to take us to the theatre, 4mi away, but we were unsuccessfull. No one could bear the thought of walking an extra 8 miles round trip to and from the movie theatre. Maybe Watchmen will happen in Franklin, NC... a few days away... just maybe.
Dad sent me off right, when we planted a car at Hightower Gap (9.2 miles down the trail) with my pack in it. We were shuttled from there, around to the trailhead, at 0.9 mi from the summit of Springer Mtn., the official southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT).
As usual, Dad made better time than anyone else I've ever seen at his age. He should be hiking this with me, but I've seen at least 4 other thruhikers that are older than him that seem pretty ready to succeed, so he'll still have chances to bag this trail in the future.
Right after he left, the trail got a little more rugged and steep. A lot of Georgia has been just meandering sidehilled trail, with very moderate ups and downs, bare trees and lots of sun drying me out. Near water, there are cool rhododendron "tunnels" that give the feeling of interior space.
I stayed the night on Sassafrass Mountain, at the 11.2 mile mark from the summit of Springer, hangin' in my hammock about 1/4 mile past a group of three older men, who I would later learn the thruhikers were calling "the three old men". Apt, guys... very apt.
Day 2: Friday, March 6th- Touch and go with Three Old Men (10.8 mi)
My first morning on the trial, I get up early early early (by my previous 'civilization' standards), to avoid embarrassment due to my pathetic bear bag hanging skills... I'm not too worried about that, though. I've got plenty of time to practice. Before 7AM, two of the three old men walk by and give a friendly wave. About ten minutes later, the other old man comes by and strikes up a conversation about the wind that came through that night.
"Yep- pretty cold!"
I said, muffled by a toothbrush.
On the next summit, he was leaning against a giant log, moaning about how old he was, so I figured I should introduce myself.
"Th' name's L-Train."
"I go by Outlaw, and I'm here with my buddies, but they're up ahead, waitin' on me."
"You guy walking to Maine?"
"Ohh, no no no no.... I only gotta make it to Neel's Gap. We're section hikin'"
"Well, another couple'a weeks of this, and you'd be spry and ready for the whole hike!"
"Mah- I gotta wife and stuff- I don't reckon she'd like that too much."
"Well, Outlaw- it's nice to meet you, but I'm gonna keep on."
"See you up the trail."
I'd never see Outlaw again, but I'd catch up to his buddies at the next water source. It was off and on with the other two all day. At Gooch Gap, those two were sitting on a log, waiting for Outlaw and smoking cigars. They offered one up for me, and offered a beer, too.
"I'll take a beer!" (surprised that they'd been carrying beer over mountains)
"Oh, I was just kidding about the beer. That's pretty cruel, isn't it?"
"Mah... You should always carry hard liquor before beer. Its lighter."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point there. We drank through that two nights ago."
As the day went on, I crossed Woody Gap on GA 60. This was the first chance to call back to the hiker hostel and stay another night indoors. I was strong. I prevailed over the temptation and walked on. In all of the guidebooks, there are safety sections. Its suggested that if you're walking alone, you should camp at least one mile from any road, which I did. I went up and over Big Cedar Mountain and was coming down the other side into Dan Gap, but found some water before that and camped in a really random spot, invisible from the trail... In trail crew, we called this a "ninja camp", because anyone else using the trail would never know we were there. My kitchen was a giant blowdown.
That night was warmer and less windy, but there was a racket from a group of owls in the area for a long time. They might be Barred Owls, I'm not sure. At one point, a crazy hyper squirrel came by and tried to get into my food, but I was clearly the dominant species, when I scared it off with a "tsk!"
Day 3: Saturday, March 7th- Making Friends at Neels Gap (8.7 mi)
That morning, I woke up early again with a bit of a dehydration headache. My water treatment hadn't been working for me, because of some bad batteries, so Mom and Dad should be expecting a shipment of some batteries, compliments of SteriPEN on their doorstep, soon. I boiled and boiled and boiled my drinking water, getting me off to a bit of a late start, but by lunch time, I'd already composed a poem about stuff going on around me, and bagged two moderate Georgia mountains.
My body already started to hone some kind of internal clock, where everything happens at the same time every day. "Elevensies" is my first lunch. I'm sitting there slicing off another chunk of kielbasa, as a young, tired, stalky fellow walks up and starts right in with conversation about how his SteriPEN isn't working! This is how I met 'Alone on the Summit' (aka Justin McCoy).
"Yeah- I have similar issues."
He had been hiking with all cold foods, so he didn't have to carry a stove. I guess his dinner didn't agree with him the night before, so I gave him some chewable Maalox and offered up some cheese and crackers or kielbasa, but he was all set.
It took me a few minutes to straighten my pack and get ready to walk again, but he waited, talking the whole time about his experiences in the Sierra Nevadas, Mt. Whitney, his thyroid problem... man, this boy could taaalk! If I wanted peace and quiet, you'd never know it, because I just perpetuated the conversation, because all I'd talked to was myself and some squirrels for two days.
He did mention that the next good stopping point was Neel's Gap, but they were probably going to fill up that night, since they don't have that many beds in their hostel. I was unaware that there were beds, showers and laundry facilities five miles ahead. I threw on the afterburners. I was up and over my first 4,000 footer in less than two hours, racing to get a bunk before it filled up. I passed three other thruhikers on the way. If you hike with me, you know I can get down a mountain FAST.
Neels Gap was RIDICULOUS. I mean that the best way possible. My pack was given the 'shakedown' treatment, where they find everything unnecessary or useless and have you send it home. I've talked to people who lost 12lbs doing that. I bought a rain cover for my pack... not out of guilt, but because I'd been using garbage bags for 20 years, and I figured it was time to make the investment. My pack didn't have too much extra weight. I lost about 2lbs from their shakedown. I think they were impressed with my minimalism.
That night was fun. After a shower and laundry cycle, the band got set up outside, and the catering showed up. Someone brought out a keg. It was my dumb luck that the "hiker season kickoff party" happened the exact night that I was there. This brought in a lot of thruhikers that had more of a clue than I did. That night, I met "Baltimore Andy", and named him "Wrangler", because he wants to handle the two poisonous snakes they have on the AT (copperheads and rattlers). He's since asked me to hold the camera, and I told him "no."
"Broadcast" is a lanky southerner from Charlotte, NC, who plans on hiking the first 150 miles of the trail. He got his name by suggesting that you 'broadcast' your toothpaste when you spit, so it leaves no trace. I guess the demonstration was funny enough to be named after.
Jordan (from Merrit Island, FL) just got his name "Simba", after Broadcast was telling him the beautiful message in the story of the Lion King. He changed it to that from "Mufasa", after he learned that Mufasa dies in the first 10 minutes of the movie (hehe). Simba's a wicked fast hiker, but probably the youngest of anyone I've been hiking with at age 22-ish.
Steven Speilberg.
I don't even know this guy's real name, because his trail name is so apt. He walks around with a tiny digital video camera, recording what happens at all times. One time, all of us were standing around talking at a water source, and he walks over with the cam, narrating:
"Here, we have a chat around the proverbial water cooler..." He's got a perfect pace for me to keep up with, but he keeps humming Greatful Dead songs, which drives me nuts. Hippies. Tsk.
Groovy.
Speaking of hippies, Groovy is the easily underestimated hobo style hiker. This guy uses a canvas army backpack and jeans. There is no hipbelt, and the shoulder straps are padded with not-so-white cotton socks. He gets his name, because every time somebody says something he agrees with, he says "Groovy." All the rag tag gear aside, he still made it to Hiawassee at least a day ahead of me.
Radio Freq.
An older man, this guy's a retired radio engineer. He has a nice character voice, so its not surprising he used to have a radio show. We've exchanged a bit about our DJing days. He walks alone and at his own 'old man' pace, but covers almost exactly the same mileage as me and my little 'pack'. I see him about every other night.
Chestnut.
A middle aged fellow I've seen on and off. I think he's stopping in different towns than I am. He went into town at Unicoi gap, looking for some Prilosec. I guess he has a prescription, and he had to live on Rolaids for a while, which didn't go over well for him. He's a really smiley dude and I hope his medical needs don't keep him from finishing the trail.
Brickyard.
This guy's a little bit older (mid 40's, probably), stalky and smokes whenever he gets a chance. He's been a bartender and an alcoholic for most of his adult life. I think a big reason he's on the trail is to walk off his addiction. I'll keep you posted there. He seems pretty harmless and has the same juvenile sense of humor as all the 20-somethings. His most recent career involves masonry, which is how he came up with his name.
Colonel Mustard
A retired army colonel, he fits in with the older thruhikers. He's really nice and talks about how he misses his wife, but he's been hobbling with bad knees at a snail's pace out of Neels Gap. I keep leaving notes for him, hoping he's on the mend by now.
Mule.
Mule is a quiet recluse that sat and watched a lot of movies during all the commotion at Neels Gap. He did come out for the food, once that was ready, but went to bed very early. This guy thruhiked to Pennsylvania last year and something cut his journey short, so he's back and determined NOT to be categorized as a section hiker. He wears a skirt of Tyvek at all times. I have a feeling he reaches a very high daily mileage, because I was touch and go with him the next day after Neels Gap, but never saw him again.
Poke Weed.
A middle aged woman, she's got a little case of the empty nest stuff going on, but she sent her son to go live with her mom for a while, due to her mom always worrying. We talked about worried moms for a while, but came to the conclusion that having a worried mom is nicer than having one that doesn't care. Poke Weed named herself, due to her slow pace. It was nice to have someone to walk with in the end of day 3 (after Neels Gap) because my knees started to bother me and I was poking along with her.
Day 4: Saturday, March 8th- Over Nameless Peaks with a Pack of People (10.8 mi.)
Coming out of Neels Gap, I felt good having met all these other hikers. We've been kind of feeding off eachother's energy since then. Colonel Mustard stayed behind to nurse the knee, but over the course of the day, it was fun to run into Groovy, Simba, Chestnut, Speilberg, Wrangler, Broadcast, Brickyard, Radio Freq, Alone at the Summit, Mule, Poke Weed and a new acquaintance, Qtip... many of us just kind of doing our own thing, but most of us ended out staying at the same 'Low Gap' shelter. I think the other 4 southbound weekend warriors were surprised to run into all those thruhikers. Every place I've stayed since Neels Gap has looked like a giant tent city.
Three of those 'short timers' were young seniors from none other than the lovely University of Vermont! They were glad to hear my stories about working on the Green Mountain Club and the circumstances that led me to hiking the AT. I was glad to see more outdoor enthusiasts from Burlington, but wondered... 'why Georgia?' I guess they don't have a lot of winter gear, so they found some place warm to walk.
Late late late, that night, a group showed up from the University of Georgia. Three young dudes and two southern gals started their backpacking trip a little too late, that day. I think they were alarmed at the number of tents that were out.
Day 5: Sunday, March 9th- A Night at the Cheese Factory (13 mi.)
I don't know why, but that day was a total cake walk. I made about two extra miles that day without batting an eye. It could be all the energy everyone gets by hiking with other people. There also weren't any huge summits to conquer, so that probably had something to do with it.
I ended out at the Cheese Factory campsite with the U of GA group, Steven Speilberg, Broadcast, Wrangler and Simba... and we coaxed Brickyard into walking another couple miles when we reached his campsite he had already set up at 4PM next to Radio Freq and a few others. That night was all about the campfire.
I had the ABSOLUTE BEST hammock site, that night. All the tents were over on a flat section, but I was just down the side of the knoll, with views of the valley. I was situated just over the crest of the ridge on the lee side, so the tarp was low on the uphill side, giving me perfect privacy from the campfire, but the other side of the tarp was folded up for ventilation and views of the stars and the valley.
I called mom and dad, so they'd know I was having a good time.
We got to meet those kids from U of GA quite a bit. It turns out the girls in their group had never gone backpacking, before! They just did a 13 mile day with full packs and barely batted a southern eyelash. Awesome. The guys seemed to be seasoned outdoor enthusiasts.
One of the girls, "Vomitron" was earned because of an unfortunate experience with some shrimp flavored ramen. The other girl, "Dirt Girl" was named so, because at lunch, she was sunning herself in a dusty sunny area and had dirt on her for most of the rest of the day.
I liked the name "Vomitron", because it sounds like a name of a character in the Transformers.
(heheee)
The guys just go by the names their momma gave 'em: John, Matt and Jason.
Day 6: Monday, March 10th- Getting ready for Hiawassee (9.5 mi.)
A late start, after all that campfirin', and now its daylight savings as of two days ago, I hear...
We, the thruhiker collective decide that it will be far safer to spend one more night in the woods, rather than everyone trying to find a ride into town after dark. We spend the night at Deep Gap Shelter, just 3 miles from the road into town. Basically, we're just looking forward to stuff like all you can eat buffets and ICBs.
At Deep Gap, I run into two young female bffs hiking the trail together, Molly and Meghan (Team M&M). I also met Maggie, the Californian girl that has the most in common with me that I've seen. Its refreshing, but she has knee issues and has been doing about 7 mi/day. I'm trying to get her hooked on the glucosamine revolution.
Day 7: Wednesday, March 11th- Honeymoon Suite in Hiawassee (3 mi.)
Whew... a quick jaunt down to the gap, and many of us were waiting for a shuttle to take us into town for lunch, laundry, all you can eat, all that fun civilization stuff... there's a library, where I'm sitting right now, typing all this to you...
In the shuttle, there were four of us gals. I just met these young teenage bffs, Meghan and Molly. They didn't talk much the night before at the shelter, so I didn't get to know them until we were waiting at the road for the shuttle. Turns out, the guy running the hiker-oriented inn has a honeymoon suite that usually fits four thruhikers, with all the couches and stuff. We had a hottub, though we never used it, but it was fun to laugh about it. I thought I was timing this just right to see a new LOST episode, but I guess this is an off-week, and they just played a rerun.
To that, I say:
"Boo, Hiss
boo, hiss...
I came out of the woods, for this?"
Many of us are rearin' to find our first chance to see 'Watchmen'. Groovy had already looked up the listings by the time I showed up and tried to find a cab to take us to the theatre, 4mi away, but we were unsuccessfull. No one could bear the thought of walking an extra 8 miles round trip to and from the movie theatre. Maybe Watchmen will happen in Franklin, NC... a few days away... just maybe.
Monday, March 9, 2009
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Saturday, March 7, 2009
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Thursday, March 5, 2009
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