4/24/01
Today was "A Tale of two Cities' if I can borrow the title from the classic we were forced to read in high school English. I will also proclaim it National Wildlife Day for the Rabbit. This morning it was not raining as was expected. In fact, last night when nature called at 4 a.m. and I exited the barn the view of the bright stars with little puffy cumulus clouds passing by was simply fantastic with the backdrop of mountains and the valley below. Hip and I listened to the latest forecast which predicted imminent morning sprinkles and I made a decision to pack up quickly and get on the humps (two beautiful balds) before the bad weather had a chance to move in. At 7:30 a.m. I left the barn behind and crossed over Little Hump then made the summit of Hump Mountain by 9:00 a.m. I had the whole place to myself and it is beyond the power of written word to describe the awesome views from there. This is by far my most favorite place on the trip so far, and though I have visited this mountain before, its beauty and views never cease to amaze, inspire and humble me. After soaking it all in for a half hour, the darkening skies westward were my cue to get off the bald hump and descend to safer territory. On the way down I saw an abundance of wildlife in a short period of time. First, there was the peregrine falcon. Then the longhorn steers (they don't count but they sure were intimidating to walk through as I could feel those steely eyes staring me down when I passed by). As I entered the woods (still at 5,000') I saw a large doe which watched me approach before finally bounding into the woods. After the deer I saw my first snake, a mature garter snake which took its time smelling me before sliding to its den next to the trail while I tried to focus the zoom to take a photo. Just a few more yards down this rugged rocky stretch I saw a woodchuck, up close and personal. Not long afterward, my movement down the trail initiated the abrupt flight of two large wild turkeys. I think they scared me as much as I did them.
I reached the Apple House shelter by 11:30, some 9 miles from the barn. The skies were dark and it appeared rain was imminent, so I waited for 30 minutes for Hip to arrive and we lamented the choices of what to do next. Since the road (19E) was only 1/2 mile away and I knew there was a diner a mile up the trail near Elk Park, NC, we decided it was worth the side trip for the blue plate special (real food!) Brian from NJ joined us as we trudged up the highway. We reached the diner, and surprise, surprise, it was closed (on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays). By now we were committed, so we hiked ANOTHER mile, crossing the Tenn. line to NC, entered the town of Elk Park and found our tasty lunch at the Country House. After finishing the mega lunch, we opened the restaurant door to find rain gently falling. None of us was particularly excited about the two mile walk back to the trail, but we nevertheless donned our gear and began the trek. About a mile down the highway, I stopped under the cover of the porch of a small grocery store to wait for Hip. About the time Hip was in view and closing the gap to me, a fellow in a beat up Chevrolet pulled up in the parking lot and offered us a ride. Initially he said he was going to Erwin, and I explained that we were only going back to the trailhead on 19E. He said he knew the spot (only a mile down the road) and would take us there. We piled in and he offered us a cold beer (like we could suck one back in 60 seconds). His windshield wipers didn't work (and it was raining) so he reached out the window with a squeegee to clear it for driving as he drank his tall Bud (1:45 p.m.). I was grateful for the ride even though he had been drinking, was missing a few teeth, couldn't see out the window, and smelled worse than a thru-hiker after a week in the woods. Nice guy, salt of the earth. No stress, no worries; for him life is always good. Makes me wonder why we humans live in big cities fighting traffic woes every day, then hustle and bustle all day long ... obviously contentment and happiness can be found in much simpler places.
Anyway, after an incredible morning with the best section of trail yet and lots of wildlife to boot and a great lunch, it was time to tackle the second half of the day. Just as our Chevy friend pulled away the bottom fell out. So much for the earlier forecast for passing sprinkles. I should have known better. Hip and I made a quick decision in the pounding rain and wind to keep going instead of taking the easy way out, back to the previous shelter only a mile back. The next 10 miles proved to be torture! We hiked through a section of the AT notoriously known for major incidences between "locals" and "hikers". We had read numerous warnings and reports of problems from the past and knew that the recommendation was to hike to the next shelter (12 miles from the 19E road). The first 5 miles took us through several farm fields (more wildlife? Horses and cows). There were a lot of twists and turns on the trail. Then we entered a section of trail where we were surrounded by thick rhododendron forests and kept crossing streams. It was 100 feet straight up, then 100 feet straight down, time and time and time again and again! We were exhausted and trying to find a designated campsite. For once, there were no signs giving distances at intersections, so we were clueless for hours how far we had progressed. By 6 p.m. we were both physically spent and wanted to stop. We kept onward looking for the combination of water and a campsite. Finally at 7 p.m. with an hour of daylight to spare, I suggested we get water at a stream crossing, then find a level spot to pitch a tent. We finally found that spot at 7:15. Hip and I pitched our tents, then he ate a dry lunch and went to bed exhausted. I managed to force myself to cook a hot dinner, then hung the bear bag and got in my tent. For the first time, I skipped journaling while on the trail (I'm writing this a day later). It was definitely a day of two trails, the first half of the day was delightful and invigorating; the second half challenging and painful. But we made it! As an afterthought, today a major milestone was reached. We completed North Carolina; only 50 more miles and Tennessee will be behind us as well. What an adventure! Today's stats: low 45 degrees, high 60. Sunny early, then rain and cold. Today's mileage; 20.2 long miles! Cumulative mileage: 396.4.
