Date: 2007-06-01
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I get a late start today, sometime in the 10 o'clock hour. I'd been told that the climb out of the gorge here is less strenuous than other gorge climbs, with the ascent to Lovers Leap being the main difficult section.Before heading out, I stop at the outfitter again to get some last minute items. On my way there, I pass by the two women who stayed at Elmer's last night, and I ask, "May I please take your picture, to prove to my girlfriends back home that girls hike the Trail, too?!" They gladly acquiesce, requesting that I tell the friends back home that they were hot! Hahaha!The Trail crosses the French Broad River on a road bridge, and from here I have a splendid view of the rock face of Lovers Leap. According to Native American legend, a princess threw herself from the precipice after someone murdered her lover out of jealousy. I have "kayaked" the French Broad before, ending at the Nantahala Outdoor Center outpost along the river, at Hot Springs here. Oh, the memories of growing up! People ask me why I want to take up the insane task of backpacking the Appalachian Trail, and I tell them of my MANY mountain vacations while growing up... It just seems the natural thing for me to do!Across the bridge, the Trail crosses the guardrail, and steeply descends to the river bank, going upriver for half-a-mile, at least, passing right in front of the base of the sheer rock face of Lovers Leap. Here, I see the blue-blazed "bad weather" trail, steeply climbing the rock face by chiseled stone steps, it appears. I'm tempted to blue-blaze here, but only because the steep trail looks like fun! (I'm probably one of the few hikers to have ever said/though that!)After several steep, short switchbacks, I find myself standing upon the several rock ledges of Lovers Leap, providing unbounded views of the area below, including a small waterfall I walked past on the Trail... it looks like a speck from here!After a little more climbing, I'm now on the ridgeline, and the walking becomes more "easy" (the Trail is never easy, only less hard at times). This ridgewalk continues all day, with only a few relatively steep sections. I pass by a family---husband, wife, and daughter---who are section hikers, and heading into Hot Springs for the night. I also pass by another lady, just out for a short day hike. I also come upon two beautiful girls (Big Swig and Big River, or something like that), sitting on the Trail. One is trying to take a picture, it seems, so I offer to assist. It turns out they're waiting for another friend in their group, who's behind them (meaning, North on the Trail, as they, too, are headed south into Hot Springs). Just South of here, the Trail goes over a wide-open meadow, and follows dirt roads, and gets slightly confusing to follow at one intersection; so, I make sure to give them detailed, easy-to-follow directions for this section, so they don't, like me, walk in the wrong direction at the road intersection!We say our goodbyes, and I press on. I cross an Interstate on a bridge, then goes right back into the forest. Back in the forest, I come upon the third girl in the party whom I had only recently met 2/3s of. I recognize this girl immediately, but can't put my finger on it. She blurts out, "Haven't I met you before, just South of Fontana Dam?" Turns out, she was one of the girls I'd met just North of Cable Gap Shelter! I knew I recognized her! Apparently, she and her friends are out doing random sections in the southeast area, piecing together a section-hike, I think.I come to a field of beautiful flowers, the species of which I can't remember (a hiker told me later in the evening... my brain just seems to be failing today). I've always wanted to get a picture of a butterfly atop a flower, poised, posed for my lens. I am treated to this here, but a double-treat it is, as there are TWO butterflies on this flower, modeling for me.From here, there's a short climb to Spring Mountain Shelter. I have only hiked 11-miles today, a distance which is small for me by now. I decide on this as my destination as I've started late today, and because I know Keith is hiking to here, and Gabrielle has the weekend off of work and is coming up here. I figured I can take it easy today, to hang out with the two of them... who knows if/when I'll ever see them again? Imagine my surprise as Josh (Piano Man) is at the shelter when I arrive! We have our usual laughs, wondering how Josh has, yet again, gotten ahead of me! He apparently took yesterday off in Hot Springs, and hiked to here just today, just like me, Keith, and Gabrielle.Just before arriving, I hear thunder, and pick up my pace to try and reach the shelter before the storms erupt the fury upon me, as it sounds like it might be a nasty booger. Upon my arrival, and just after the laughs with Josh, I go down the blue-blazed trail to the spring, which is quite steep. I manage to get 1-liter of water pumped, just as the rain starts coming down. I end my endeavor and head back to the shelter as quickly as I can. Thanks to the tree/leaf cover, I don't get very wet.Shortly after the tempest beings its showcase, Gabrielle arrives, soaked to the bone. A few minutes later, and in comes Keith, also soaked to the bone! Both are full of joy, though, as today has been a beautiful one, and a beautiful hike, including the rain! "I never knew how beautiful the rain could be. I never paused to notice." Josh, Gabrielle, and I easily vote to sleep in the shelter tonight. Keith pitches his tent under the awning just in front of the shelter.While we're sitting and chatting, Gabrielle leans forward, peering out of the shelter, and says, "I see another hiker coming, southbound! Holy crap, he's barefoot!" Sure enough, in comes a barefoot hiker, headed South. He must be in 50s, I guess when I lay my eyes upon him. And his gear... it's... homemade... out of tyvek? Turns out, his Trail Names IS Tyvek! He is hiking, he tells us, to raise awareness for troops returning from war zones, who don't have free counseling/group therapy available for them. He fears that the war in Iraq will spawn mentally tortured people for the rest of their lives, much as Vietnam has, and result in another influx in the homeless population. He has a 23 and 27 year old son, and is in tears as he says that he can't imagine something like that happening to his boys. He started hiking last year, and had to stop prematurely due to a back injury. He feared that it would ruin his cause, but it ended up being perfect fuel to pick up more momentum! If I remember right, he said that he'd been interviewed on tv and radio, and has even testified before the Supreme Court on this issue. Also, he says, Georgia's congressman is awaiting his arrival atop Springer Mountain, to meet with him about this very issue. His website can be viewed here: http://www.thelongwalkhome.org/ . Also, when asked why he made all of his gear out of tyvek, he says, "I wanted to be like the Native Americans, with handmade gear, but I didn't want to kill any animals to get their hides."The rain is unrelenting, and we immediately make room for Tyvek, and there is now four of us in the shelter. After some talk, most of us begin drifting off to sleep, when two more hikers arrive! A daughter and mother duo, it is. I immediately come to my senses again (I was dozing off), and assure them there's room in the shelter if they'd like to avoid pitching the tent in the rain. They cordially thank me for the offer, but pitch their tent (it's brand new, I think they said!) nearby.The pitter-patter of the rain on the roof, and on the leaves and ground have an immense soporific effect on me, rocking me off to sweet sleep, much like a mother rocking her baby to sleep in her beautiful, motherly arms.