3/23/01
I forgot to mention that all three times yesterday when we hitchhiked, the cars stopped for Creeper but not for me! We decided my black jacket scares them while Creeper's yellow/orange jacket is pleasing to the eye and lures them into stopping! I may have to make another purchse and turn in my Darth Vader outfit or it'll be a long six months getting to/from towns!
This morning we started early, trying to hitch a ride by 7 a.m. It took FOREVER to get picked up by finally we got a ride back to Unicoi Gap with a real mountain man ... he didn't talk much but was very nice to drop us at the Gap. He was headed to Hiwassee to pick up a hiker to take him to Atlanta ... sounds like someone decided to quit the trail. So, we started our straight up ascent of Rocky Mtn., a 1000 ft. climb right out of gap. It was strenuous, but we did it in 50 minutes (Creeper's time), 39 minutes for Rabbit. A steep descent right back down, then a long ascent of Tray Mtn. At the top of Tray Mtn. which was covered with about 2 feet of snow at the summit, we had a breathtaking view of the valley to the east, the GA mtns to the south from which we came, more mtns. to the west, and the NC mtns. to the north. There got to be quite a crowd up top enjoying the awesome view and soaking up the warm sunshine.
For all the millions of UNC fans out there, I had the pleasure of meeting Serge Zwicker, former UNC basketball player originally from Holland, now living in Chapel Hill. We shared some UNC memories, caught up on what Coach Smith is doing now (working at the Dean Dome helping Matt get the guys ready for an NCAA championship in 2002 I hear). Serge is a thru-hiker this year, so I'll probably be seeing more of the gentle giant again as we move down the trail. By the way, he wears a size 19 shoe, but his boots are size 16EEEE. I think he gets the "Big Foot" award this year, but he wants to go by "Serge" for his trail name.
After pounding out several more tough miles, we arrived at Addis Gap around 4 p.m. Mark and Joe (the 22 and 12 year old brothers from California) are camping in the gap with us. Mark played the fiddle/violin for us while we ate our dessert tonight. He's excellent, has been playing since age 5. Joe is home schooled which explains how he can get a six month education in the wilderness. It's amazing the diversity of folks doing the trail! Met several other northbounders today on the trail. Life is great, we're having a blast, I'm in my tent, and it's time to say goodnight. Oh, for Joel and Nancy, the rumor is that Tim Duncan is also on the trail...maybe Joel can meet us on the trail and finally get that signed autograph on his Tim Duncan Wake Forest jersey. Just kidding.
Today's stats: low: who cares, we were in a motel. High: 60, bright and sunny. Today's mileage: 10.8, cumulative mileage; 61:5. Only 14.3 miles to North Carolina; two more days til Georgia is history! Happy hiking! Rabbit
