Date: 2004-05-12
From: Max Patch

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We awoke in the stand of woods next to the beautiful Max Patch. It was a groggy and slow wake up. Our bodies weren't really recovered from the dehydrations of the day before, and the prospects of hiking all day weren't really all that thrilling.A cloud of gnats was waiting impatiently for us outside the tent, so we were fairly fast in packing up.I was feeling low, and the feeling didn't fade as we tackled the first few miles, though they were good miles.At a stream we ran into Samurai, and I asked him if, on his previous attempt on the AT, he'd ever woken up feeling inexplicably down. He said that he had. And that he thought it had something to do with knowing pretty much what the day was going to have: a whole lot of sweaty, exhausting hiking just like the day before and the day before. Not to mention the annoyances of insects...My heart continued to be heavy for a while, and I was wondering what the hell I was doing. It's a question that comes up sometimes: "Why am I doing this, again?"Moxie made us some coffee at the first shelter that we passed by, and it seemed that the heaviness of the morning was being felt by a couple other hikers. It was a tough day to get going.Soon we were trudging again, tackling a climb.Then the rain started. Gentle at first, but with growing persistance.We hit another shelter, and it was full of hikers hiding from the rain. The rain started thundering down on the sheltwer's tin roof, but I decided to put on my rain pants and push on. I said goodbye to Moxie and the other shelter occupants, and took on the stream flowing down the mountain: the AT had quickly transformed into a waterway.It was somehow nice to be hiking alone in the heavy rain and the thunder and lightning.There wasn't a gnat in sight.Soon I was on the top of the day's big climb, and I stopped to climb this boulder and could see the dark hills spread out into the distance and the way the clouds and mist were cloaking the mountains and spreading into the trees. nice.Soon the rains stopped, though the thunder still continued to roll and echo over the dark hills. I took off my raingear and contnued to hike.I had to crouch under wet branches, and I kinda liked the way cool wet drops would run from the leaves onto my neck when I passed under.My morning blahs were gone, and something in my experience had answered that question of "Why am I doing this, again?"Soon the sun was out again, and I was cutting down muddy switchbacks. When the wind blew through the trees, a funny sunny rain would fall as the leaves above had the water shaken from them.It started to get hot, and I started to get hungry, so I stopped on a forestry service road to cook up some lunch. I laid out my wet rain gear, my wet shirt and bandana to dry them all off.It was nice to lay back in the sun as my food cooked.A bee developed a strange fascination with my bandana, but it left when my meal was done. Maybe its departure had somet4hing to do with the pebbles I kept wafting its way.Energized by the meal and the rest, I made the hike up what was supposed to be the last hill of the day. Only 4 miles to go to the next shelter where I'd be meeting Moxie.I got there in couple hours or less, and treated some water.And though I'd already gone 16 odd miles, I kinda wanted to press on. Hot Springs was just 3.5 miles away, and there was hours of daylight left.And just when I was writing a note to Moxie and Samurai in the shelter's registry telling them the deal, Moxie pulled into camp, with Gilligan in tow. Samurai was close behind.Though the guys wanted to stay at the shelter for the night, Moxie was all over the notion of making a late-day piush into town.Soon we were trudging into Hot Springs, NC. Our feet were sore, but we were feeling pretty good.We had just pulled off our longest day yet. 20 miles of hiking! Not bad - especially given how I'd been feeling in the morning.Then came Paddler's Pub and delicious, well-deserved food, and some tasty local beers.And a nice, long sleep.More soon,Whoa