Date: 2006-04-13
From: ..2 miles N of Lemon Gap, NC

To: .3 miles N of Rich Mtn, NC
Miles today: 23.0

23.0 miles todayStealth Tenting.3 miles N of Rich Mtn, NC58,898 foot steps todayAnother day that was packed with living.I woke up at 5:30am after a not so great night's sleep. I'm not sure why, but I just couldn't get comfortable.I made my Starbuck's and had my last two fruit pies for breakfast.I was packed up and walking at 6:40am. I thought I'd get to see a nice sunrise, but the trail took me to the west side of the mountain and I missed it.It was a very mild morning at about 50 degrees...too warm to stay in my sleeping bag last night, but just cool enough that I kept waking up cool when I was out of it.I was hoping to catch up to Circuit Rider and Sherlock somewhere today. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked around a corner by a stream and they were just putting their packs on.They had slept just 15 minutes from where I was tented at last night. I'm real glad I stopped walking when I did because I would have walked right by their tent and not known it was them.They took their packs off while I got some water, then we all walked together towards Hot Springs, NC.It was great running into them. I thought for sure that I would pass them somehow and not get to walk with them. We don't usually walk in the same direction, but I do see them on the trail every year.We climbed Walnut Mountain where all the trees have been cut in order to bring the summit back to a more natural state...at least that's what the sign says. I guess they want it to return to a bald.The views will be nice but all the trees are still laying on the ground, for the most part.We got to Walnut Mtn Shelter and I saw Michael Angelo and Silverback. I had met Michael Angelo when Mother Nature, Smakestack, Shortcut and I were doing trail magic at Unicoi Gap a few weeks ago.I signed the register and we walked on...(Thinking about cheeseburgers in town.) :-)))Pretty soon we passed Too Much and Not Enough climbing up Bluff Mtn. Next we passed a young girl by the name of Holly.We ran into Single Malt getting water at a spring. I didn't recognize her at first because of the new hat she had on.We summited Bluff Mtn and then headed down to Garenflo Gap. I heard a turkey gobbling and tried to get it too talk somemore, but it decided it had said enough for now. :-)))We ran into Conductor just before we stopped at Deer Park Mtn Shelter. I needed water and had to use some smiley face stickers in the register.Sherlock was getting very excited because we were only 3.2 miles away from cheeseburgers. I guess we were all getting pretty excited. :-)))We walked down the mountain into Hot Springs and made our first stop at Smoky Mtn Diner.Sherlock went in and ordered our drinks, while Circuit Rider got a room for them and I sent in my journal entry and got more emails...and I will be answering them all soon. I'll be in Erwin at a motel Sunday about noon and plan on catching up then, but keep them coming...they really help keep me going!!! :-)))I ordered a 12 ounce Hungry Hiker Burger and it was delicious. We all had burgers and fries, then ordered peach cobbler with ice cream...umm, umm good. :-)))Thanks you guys for treating me to a great lunch. :-)))Hey Queen Diva, they did good!!!I had to resupply because I was walking on today, so I stopped next door at the new Dollar General. They had Little Debbie apple pies!!! I got enough to get me to Erwin and a few other items, then walked down to Bluff Mtn Outfitters and talked to Wayne and Neen for a while.I also got enough denatured alcohol to get me to Erwin.I saw Poles walk into the outfitter and talked to her for a few minutes too.I stopped by the room where Circuit Rider and Sherlock were staying and talked somemore. :-)))We said goodbye and I headed back to a restaurant and had a vanilla milkshake while I waited on a roast beef hoagie I ordered to pack out for tonight's dinner.I also packed out a small bag of chips and a coke for dinner.I checked my email one more time and headed out of town at 2:50pm.I ran into Wooden Sticks right after I crossed the French Broad River Bridge.The climb out of town was on the sunny side of the mountain and it was pretty warm.I caught up to Holly on the climb and we walked together for a while.I ran into Marcus Solo just before the pond.I stopped at the pond about 4 miles from town and sat there in the shade with a nice, cool breeze blowing and ate my roast beef hoagie.I'm not sure what got the frogs going, but they got real noisy for a while.Holly stopped and we talked somemore, then walked out to Tanyard Gap together.I thought she was hitching back to town, but she kept walking up the mountain. I got ahead of her and didn't see her again.I had only planned to go far enough from the road at Tanyard Gap so I couldn't hear the cars, but I ended up walking all the way up Rich Mountain and a short ways beyond there before I found a nice, soft flat spot to set up my tent.I was in my tent for the night and I still had about 45 minutes before the sun went down.What a great day...especially running into and walking with Circuit Rider and Sherlock. :-)))