Date: 2010-03-26
From: 19 E north of Roan Mountain

To: Campsite
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Gray skies are just clouds passing over.                                  - Duke Ellington I spent a restless night last night, anticipating the resumption of my hike. Thoughts about all the things left undone at home also distracted me. I had deliberately tried not to settle back into a routine back in Champaign -- not to focus on life at home. As a result I drifted through the days, not even accomplishing things I really should have done. Obviously I will need to have a better plan for "reentry" when I finish my hike. Part of the reason for this hike is to give me time to sort through some options, but I better have a plan of action by the time I finish.But for now it will be enough to get back on the trail, mentally as well as physically.My husband, Angus, drove us up the twisty road to Kincora, the hostel where we would leave our car and from which we would shuttle to 19E just north of Roan Mountain to begin our hike.   Bob Peeples, who would shuttle us, was out when we arrived, but returned shortly. Bob is a wonderful storyteller and an inspiration. By the time we got to the Trail, I'd already added a couple of things to my own bucket list.We set off under gray skies. It had been four weeks since I'd last worn a loaded backpack, and it felt heavy and awkward to begin with. After a few stops to rearrange the load and pauses to cinch some straps and loosen others, we were finally off. The white blazes were a welcome sight.However, something seemed wrong. It wasn't just the pack. That settled into place soon enough. No. It was something else... Eventually I realized what it was.   There was no crunching underfoot. No slipping and sliding. No wet socks or cold feet. No snow or ice. No blowdowns. A trail that was easy to follow.What a difference!It was clear that the trail maintainers had been hard at work. Fresh cut wood marked where downed trees and branches had been cut. Clipped rhododendron branches littered the trail. Even the white blazes looked freshly painted. Many, many thanks to those trail maintainers.As we hiked the clouds descended. The ceiling was soon only 20 or 30 feet.   When I looked straight ahead there was only a distant mist, but if I looked up it was as though the trees had been cut off. It was a little bit eerie.As the day wore on we had some rain, and then the clouds lifted some.   As the day warmed up I shed my rain jacket.When we came to the side trail to Jones Falls we walked over to see it. Plenty of water was pouring down - very much worth the short diversion. We didn't linger at the falls, though. We'd only had a few snacks and were ready to stop for a hot lunch, so on to Mountaineering Shelter and a much-needed break. The shelter was a very nice one, and we enjoyed the carving of the bear.Later, greatly refreshed, we continued on. We hoped we might reach a designated campsite, but when it got late we set up camp off the trail. By the time we'd had dinner and gotten everything set up it was dark. It was a nice little site and we slept well. So nice to be with my husband on the Trail. I wish we had more days like this. It makes it so much easier to remember that those are just clouds passing over.