4/27/01
After the virtually perfect day yesterday River Wizard and I slept in until 8 a.m. this morning. I got up and forced myself to eat a trail breakfast despite the temptation to join the other thru-hikers in the lodge for Mary's home cooked breakfast. There was a movement stirring in the lodge when I finally walked in to pay my tab to shuttle yet again into Elizabethton to the now famous Sammons for another round of milkshakes. I couldn't resist the temptation and rode with Yolo, Lollipop and Kodiakak, and Doodlebug for the best milkshake in Tennessee. We had to wait for Sammons to open, but by 10:00 a.m. I was enjoying a 32 oz. chocolate milkshake and was very content.
I finally got back on the trail at 11:40 a.m. with just a few leisure miles to hike to the rendezvous point where I would meet my scout troop (BSA 33) from home. The hike through the gorge and along Laurel Creek was outstanding. The waterfall there was picturesque and I had it all to myself. I finally moved on and began a 1900 foot climb of Pond Flats Mountain. While on the ascent, I passed Brooklyn, Tea Tree, Two Treks, Samurai, and Mo and Addy who were slackpacking southbound. I reached the top and found Fiddler (Paul) and Joe eating lunch so I joined them. After a leisurely lunch I moved down the trail and made it to Watauga Lake by 4:30. I found a suitable spot for 30 members of the BSA troop to camp then gathered wood for a fire. Cusi came by and we spent some quality time talking about the trail and life after the trail. Then Kodiakak and Lollipop came by and the discussion turned to the rope swing at the lake. It didn't take a lot of convincing and soon Cusi, Kodiakak, and I were headed to the rope swing. I poised by the camera as these two very brave thru-hikers went for a swim in some extremely cold water. They actually went in twice then waited for me to take my turn...nothing doing. I was just the photographer capturing the moment. (I learned my lesson about cold water a long time ago.)
After a nice dinner alone in the woods I sat back and relaxed until 9:00 p.m. I could see the BSA church bus across the finger of the lake so I started a large fire for the group to locate me by. By 9:30 p.m. the silence of the woods was broken by the sound of young men surrounding me as they began their search for a campsite. Finally,Thom, Locke,Frank,John M., John P., Randy, Matt, Michael and the others found me. It was so great to see so many friends from home and I immediately felt as though I was back on a monthly scout backpacking trip. With the adults came FOOD, and we had a cracker barrel snack and caught up on troop happenings as well as some stories of my journey. It was late to bed with a plan for an early start tomorrow morning. Todays stats: Low 36 degrees, high 75. Sunny, Today's mileage: 10.3; cumulative mileage 414.8.
