Date: 2010-04-30
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Laurel Fork Campsite
Miles today: 21.6

Today we did a quick 9.2 miles to the road, over Little Hump Mountain and then Hump Mountain. Two beagles showed up and started following us after the first mile or so. We called the number on their collars but it was disconnected. There was also a guy "Buckaroo" from Maine who started out with us that morning. We couldn't get rid of the dogs ourselves, but a nearby hostel owner made a diversion that allowed us to make a break for it. At the 9.2 mile mark is a road crossing leading into Roan Mountain, TN. We all really wanted $5 footlongs from subway, so we decided to give a half hour attempt at hitching a ride in. Amazingly, we were picked up in the first 5 minutes, by a lone girl! The least likely demograpic ever!After subway, we had incredible soft serve ice cream next door. They had over 20 flavors and would mix any 2 together for you. I had peanutbutter/Banana. Then we got s'more stuff at the dollar store (somehow marshmallows are much heavier than I expected, a bag is 10oz!). A pickup truck stopped for us immediately on the way Out, we all piled in the back.After 5 more miles and a creepy cemetery, we heard water and people below us, down an old, blocked trail. we went down there and met 2 guys and 3 of their male children, out for a guys weekend. They insisted we stay and eat dinner, trying to prove that Deliverance was an isolated incident. One of the first things they said was "Don't worry, we're not gonna rape or kill you." They made us big plates of potatoes and onions, corn, and excellent venison, all prepared on the grill over a campfire. "We can't share the beer with you, we have to draw the line somewhere." "Buckie" the chef is a master craftsman, and "Chad" works for the railroad. Chad reminded me a lot of Larry the Cable Guy. We took a couple group pictures so you can decide. Anyway, they had this old wagon that they'd painted in camoflage colors and used to cart in the beer and other heavy stuff. Their kids caught a pretty big speckled trout in the river and Buckie smoked it on the grill. We all tried a little and it was great. Buckie also had more and more to drink as time went on. One of the kids said that "if we wait around long enough he'll fall into the fire like he did last year, it was the funniest thing I ever saw." 1 kid was 15, the other 2 were about 17. After about 4 hours of conversation, the evening culminated with the detonation of 2 homemade bombs the rednecks had brought with them. Apparently a bunch of sparklers wrapped in duct tape, with only the fuses exposed, makes a big bang. The kids went quite a ways down by the water, lit one and ran back. BOOM. They repeated the procedure with mixed results: the last kid running back fell, the bomb somehow lit all the surrounding grass on fire, and mild burns occurred.Around that time we said goodbye hiked for about 6 more miles to Laurel Fork. We all cowboy camped (no tent) next to the waterfall at about 2:30 AM. It was funny because we were all in a row, with Yoga Matt on the end, precariously on the edge of a steep downward slope straight into the creek, or "crick" as pronounced locally. We went to sleep listening to the sound of water all around.