Date: 2006-04-22
From: Kincora Hostel, Hampton, TN

To: Kincora Hostel, Hampton, TN
Miles today: 8.9

16,751 foot steps today (Not sure if the bugger worked all day or not.) I woke up at 6am and had half my apple coffee cake, some black grapes and a couple bottles of Dr Enuf. That Dr Enuf says it has some vitamins, so I should be all better and in good health today. :-))) I didn't have any coffee this morning. I'm not sure why, but it's so busy here that I just didn't get in the kitchen long enough to boil water. It was a busy morning with a bunch of the hikers getting ready for their day. I got the few things ready that I needed for my 9 mile slack just before Bob came over and took 9 of us over to Watauga Lake and dropped us off.Most headed north because they had done the slack yesterday, but Leprecaun, Parkay and myself headed south back to the hostel. It was drizzly out this morning, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. About 5 minutes after I started climbing up Pond Flats, I heard a huge branch that was about 100 feet to my left break off and fall.The trees are saturated and the dead trees that are still standing are more dangerous than normal. A minute later, I heard a big crack right next to me and backtracked real quick. An old dead pine tree that was only about 10 inches in diameter, started to fall across the trail. I looked up just as it got hung up on another tree. It stayed there with none of it's branches falling. It looks like it will be leaning on that live tree for quite some time.I was still careful when I walked under it though. It's a beautiful day with the dark, wet forest and some clouds laying on the mountains in the distance. I got to the top of Pond Flats about an hour after I started climbing and it was still drizzly and it had gotten foggy. I walked by the spring up there and it was running good.It always amazes me that springs can be at the top of mountains. I was just getting to the bottom of Pond Flats after slipping and sliding down the steep side of the mountain (carefully) and ran into Cupcake walking north.He said that there was a lot of water coming over the falls In Laurel Gorge. I crossed the Laurel River on a couple of foot bridges and it was flowing harder than I've seen before. I walked on and came to an area where a beaver had been busy chewing on some of the trees.I took a picture of one tree he had fell that ws probably 14 inches in diameter. I walked down into the gorge and the falls really were raging.I got some nice pictures and just as I was getting ready to walk on, I saw a guy at the top of the falls working his way around the side of the mountain with his kayak.There were three guys and they must have been crazy to be trying to climb down next to the falls. It was wet and slippery and they were having a hard time. I watched them for a while, then decided I had seen enough and walked on. I climbed the magnificent rock work that had been done so the hikers could get out of the gorge. I got back to the hostel and ate 3 hard boiled eggs and 3 pieces of fried chicken that I had left from last night. Bob said he would take us to town at 4:15pm and drop us off at a Chinese buffet while he went to church.That gave me a few hours, so I made good use of the time and took a nap. :-))) I noticed that it got real quiet just after 3pm. I laid there for a minute thinking about it, then got up to see if they had left without me. :-(((Bob was coming back to get me. He said he was able to take us in an hour early and realized I wasn't out at the truck. He dropped off about 8 hikers at the buffet, but when I thought about the Chinese buffet, it just didn't sound that good to me.I walked around the area and found a place called Fatz. I went in and checked the menu. They had steaks, so I sat down and ordered a nice, fat sirloin steak with a baked potato and a really good salad. See Wild Hare, I AM trying to eat better. :-))) I walked next door to a Super Wal-Mart and resupplied with enough food to get me to Damascus, Va.I even bought some Boost drinks that has lots of protein and 26 vitamins. I really am trying my best to eat better. There is a full house tonight. I don't think there's enough beds for everyone that's here.Some of the hikers here are; Parkay, Stateline Jay, 10 Speed, Boulder, Caboose, Walkabout, Fiddlehead, Poles, D-Rock, Leprecaun, Handlebar, Homebound and I know there's quite a few others that I can't think of right now. Seiko came up the mountain to say hello. He said he had heard I was here.I talked to him about some land that he knows of that's for sale.I haven't decided whether or not I might take enough time tomorrow to take a look at it or not. It's after 11pm and I need to get to sleep...good night. :-)))