Date: 2013-05-01
From: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 11.3

Day 3: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter to Locust Cove Gap May Day, May Day, May Day; The best laid plans of mice and men (thank you R. Burns);No Gnome Left BehindHello 1st of May!!!! May Day it is, and the day seems primed for decent weather! A relatively good night¢s sleep despite the smell, managed to get up and out earlier than most people. Thanked the Bayou Crew for the entertainment and hanging my bag last night; said goodbye to Alana who had graciously offered her water last night when I was sitting down to dinner without my own; and said goodbye to Sinjon, his girlfriend Ute and their sweet Australian Sheepdog. The eight-tenths of a mile from the shelter to the road (US 19) were relatively easy even in the slick spots and the recent rain continued to provide active waterfalls trailside throughout the descent. I arrived down at the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) area which sprawls along the river on the opposite side of US 19. After crossing the road, I promptly got lost while looking at everything: the various bridges that crossed the river, the cars going by, the colorful kayaks (see photo above) lined up along the storefront. Sometimes I think I must have ADD! I ended up walking to far up the road and crossing a bridge only to walk back on the other side of the river. Today I was planning a 16.8-mile hiking day. That was the plan now that I had caught up on day 2 to be back on my food drop schedule. I planned this 16.8 mile day even AFTER looking at maps and map profiles. What needs to be said about today¢s planned hike is that it is one of the longest continuous climbs on the AT (so I¢ve been told). It is not steep, just long. I¢ll try to draw a picture in words: You start at a river at an elevation of ~1,720¢ and climb 2,000¢ in 2.5 miles, then over the course of the next 5.5 miles you climb to 5,000¢. By AT standards, 3340¢ over 8 miles is not bad- mathematically, your climb is ~420¢ up/mile OR (the mental game I play)-that is a mere 42¢ up for every 1/10th of a mile (this just seems more reasonable). The second thing that should be said about "the plan" is that there is a section called Jacob¢s ladder that is shown on the map as a nearly vertical climb right at the end of my day¢¦ perhaps I thought there was a ¢lift¢ (elevator) there?! Anyway, back to the present. So I¢m bopping along over the train tracks (no train this time Dave) and finally find the bridge into the woods which will start my 8 mile climb. Somewhere along the climb, I came across a memorial to a public servant who gave his life fighting a forest fire along the trail. It was a nice tribute to his dedication and sacrifice and I snapped a few photos and added my rock to the memorial (I suppose that¢s the trail equivalent of Catholics lighting a votive candle in the chapel). After pausing briefly, I set back out and continued the uphill march along a narrow trail cut into the side of the mountain. About 15 minutes later, I reached into my pocket where I keep Little Dude (the Gnome) and felt nothing there. I patted down the other pockets, removed my pack and checked ALL of THOSE pockets, no Little Dude. Damn it! Did I leave him at the memorial?! I offloaded the pack and walked back over the ups and downs in the opposite direction, sure enough- there was the poor little legless guy, nearly stranded at the site of an extinguished life. I gathered him up, tipped my hat again to Wade and walked once more over the trail heading north. Never leave a Gnome on the battlefield. As I write this journal at the end of my day I can say that the 8-mile gradual climb did indeed kick my ass as the Bayou Boys feared it would. There are only a few things in fact that I remember with clarity while climbing up and up and up. I¢ve seen very little wildlife so far, which seems strange given it is springtime but today I surprised a large Wild Turkey and she/he equally surprised the bejeezus out of me. I moved a little more quickly even given how tired I was because I have had ¢bird incidents¢ in my past including one where a bird chased me down the AT for a distance even after I threw my guidebook at it (I had to go back and recover it of course). Continuing with wildlife¢¦I also recognized two hikers that I thought I saw yesterday ¢ Bullwinkle and NASCAR. Both are veteran thru-hikers who are now section hiking the trail usually ¢sans pack¢ to enjoy the smaller pieces a section hike allows. I ran into these guys after getting to a nice looking campsite at Swim Bald. I must have looked beat and they looked so fresh and relaxed. We chatted for about 15 minutes, they told me I had seen them yesterday and the day before as well because they were south-bounding; they said I would likely see them again tomorrow and then again in the Smokies. The Smokies! Yes, the bells went off in my head as I watched them walk off again. The thing about GSMNP (Great Smoky Mtn National Park) is that unless you are a thru-hiker (which I am not), you MUST register to stay at specific shelters/campsites each night. You are not allowed to just tent anywhere and there are stiff fines if you are found doing so. So here I am not even 1/2 way through my plan today and I am physically and mentally burnt. I decided to give the National Park Service a call and see if I could push my reservations out a day. Doing this would mean: a potential problem if the shelters were already full, a change to my hotel reservation in Gatlinburg and I would be 1 dinner and 1 breakfast short. I¢ll spare the details except to say that I spoke with a wonderful man, Nick from NPS who completely rearranged my reservations to delay me a day and got me into the final Northbound shelter in the park thus preventing me from having to hike 19 miles one day. I also changed my hotel reservation (cost me money but $30 was cheaper than the full cost they would charge if I did not show up) and I decided I would just split my dinner in half this evening and split tomorrow¢s breakfast in half to cover me until I got to my food drop.Day 3- Views from Cheoah BaldMy decision made, I felt a little better and resumed the climb until I reached Cheoah Bald which really did have the amazing view of the Smokies that the guidebook mentioned. I sat for awhile at Cheoah, despite the bugs, I was mesmerized by the view and a little jealous of the group of folks that mentioned camping here tonight. I am often struck when I look out at the mountains, struck by those that are behind me and that I have climbed as well as those that are ahead of me yet to be traversed. It always seems to me that it is impossible that I did it (or can do it), they look so very tall, they look indomitable and yet every day hundreds of hikers including myself walk those mountains. The feeling, it is a more tangible acceptance of ¢success¢ than getting my diploma or getting the butter bar pinned on at commissioning. Maybe because it is a moment-to-moment experience and short-lived enough that you can connect the expenditure of your energy with the achieved outcome. It is an awe-filled feeling and somewhat humbling;an experience that makes you appreciate what your body and mind can accomplish in the face of something so much larger than yourself. I think this realization is a gift and I'm happy that the trail gives it.I rolled into my campsite around 6 PM. I¢m still not fully used to how late it stays light here but the early stop allowed me to clean up a little bit, make my 1/2 dinner (Turkey, veggies and Ramen) and enjoy my own bear bag hanging adventures (I nailed it!). I settled in under a small Rhododendron Tree which seemed to provide a decent wind block and fell asleep listening to more owls which called back and forth as the sky grew darker. Goodnight from ~38 miles into my hike!More photos for this day on the trip can be seen at: 2000Miler