5/3/01
My feet HURT! I don't mention physical pain and suffering in my daily journal as a matter of practice, but the plain truth is that it's a part of the trail and not a day or night goes by without aches and pains. My feet have really taken a beating yesterday and today and I'm guessing the extremely rocky trail coupled with heat and sweaty feet have taken their toll. The morning was beautiful and my hips kept me from sleeping soundly so when Loose Goose and Bob began stirring around 6 a.m. I was ready to get up too. After packing quickly and a dry breakfast, I was on the trail at 6:45 a.m. I knew immediately that I was the first human on the trail because spider webs kept hitting me in the face as I hiked forward. It was a crisp cool morning and it didn't take long to find deer peering at me from behind trees and rocks. In the 5 mile stretch across the open grassy highlands I saw 11 white tail deer. There were also several small herds of wild ponies including lots of newborns. I was careful not to get too close to those butt-eating creatures after yesterday's drama. On the way down to Old Orchard shelter, after an outstanding time in the Highlands, I caught up and passed Squirrel, who I hadn't seen since passing him on Mt. Albert just inside NC. I stopped for lunch at the shelter and Squirrel caught up so we ate lunch together in front of the shelter. I was confused as to how Squirrel got ahead of me until he told me that he skipped the Great Smoky Mtn. National Park (until a planned return in October).
After lunch I left the trail for a water resupply. I ran into Bob (the 75 year old) who was now southbounding for the Old Orchard Shelter. Bob was having some problems with feeling dizzy. I was concerned about him but he claimed it was a regular problem with blood sugar level after lunch. I tried to convince him to sit with me at the stream for awhile but he stubbornly decided to hike on. I think he is fighting tooth and nail to maintain his physical conditioning despite the toll of age. Count me in on that ! ! While crossing Iron Mountain (the VA one) I saw two black tail deer up close and personal. They must have been sleeping on or near the trail because I really got close before they jumped up and scampered into a rhododendron thicket. After Iron Mountain the trail was nicely graded the next 8 miles and I arrived at the Raccoon Branch shelter by 5:30. The water source at the shelter was less than stellar, but nevertheless was adequate. In short order Pop Pop and Kay arrived, then Squirrel, then Loose Goose. We all cooked dinner on the picnic table outside the shelter and had a quiet evening talking and enjoying each other's company. It was a beautiful moonlit evening and though in pain (those feet aching) I thoroughly enjoyed sheltering with this group of thru-hikers.
I forgot to mention the F-16 experience while climbing Mt. Rogers yesterday. As I was nearing the top where the trail pops out of the forest into the open field, I was buzzed by an F-16 fighter jet at extremely low altitude and the jet was flying at nearly the speed of sound. He buzzed the mountain making a sharp U-turn through the gap between Whitetop and Mt. Rogers, then disappeared. The sound was deafening and seeing that fighter maneuver so close to the terrain was an awesome experience. Apparently this is a daily occurrence as the Air Force uses automated terrain sensing devices to maneuver fighter jets through mountainous terrain. What a ride it must be for the pilot. I'll stick to 2 1/2 miles per hour from the ground, thank you. Here are today's statistics: low 49 degrees, high 75. Sunny. Today's mileage: 22.7 Cumulative mileage 505.8.
