Date: 2007-06-04
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: scattered clouds

It's no surprise that I woke up this morning in more cold weather. Now, granted, from I'm Augusta, GA where winter lows, at night, rarely dip below the upper-20s. Sometimes they do, though, such as last winter, where we had several nights in the teens! It hasn't snowed here (Augusta) since January 2002, and it was a technically a blizzard, billowing 8-inches of snow onto the ground in most places. So, what I refer to as a cold morning may be cold to me merely due to my conditioning around mild winters. Nonetheless, it is June 4, and the temperature is surely around 40 this morning at Bald Mountain Shelter!I know I will hike at least to Erwin, TN, just shy of 17-miles. There is a shelter just 4-miles North of town on the Trail, which I'm thinking of making my destination for the night. It all depends on what time I get into town, and how quickly I can resupply and get back to the Trail.I get a good start this morning, somewhere between 7-7:30, I'm sure. Just over 4-miles North, I come to a spur trail for High Rocks. According to Wingfoot, the spur trail is a blue-blaze (correct so far), which is actually a loop trail, rejoining the A.T. .4-miles North. This is the type of blue-blazing that I'm not opposed to: when it is for scenic reasons. I'm also not opposed to blue-blazing for health purposes, if someone doesn't think they can handle a certain area, like Windy, whom I met at Woods Hole Shelter back in Georgia; he bypassed Blood Mountain, 'cause he thought it'd be too much on his 75-year old body! Then again, anyone is free to hike as they feel like, as it's their trip! These stipulations are mine, and mine alone.Anyways, it is with much eagerness that I begin the steep ascent to High Rocks, reasoning that the views atop will be amazing, and better than what I would have on the white-blaze. This proves to be true, even in the chilly overcast morning. The vistas are breathtaking. What proves to be untrue, is that this is a loop trail, reconnecting with the A.T.! There is no way I saw that this trail could even possibly do so, without climbing down the faces of one of the cliff sides, a task I wasn't about to embark upon, especially with my backpack on!So, I had to go back the way I came, adding unwanted mileage to my trip. I swear, it is times like this where expletives flow like milk from a fat cows udders. Also, what this mainly boiled down to was my expectation of the loop trail, which was directly derived from the text in Wingfoot! I love this book, but sometimes things are off!The Trail terrain is pretty smooth going, with some slight up-and-downs. There are only occasional vistas on the way to No Business Knob Shelter. It is here where I meet another hiker whom I've read numerous times in the shelter registers: Griz. I'm guessing he was in his mid-50s, maybe upper-50s (if you're reading this, Griz, and I'm way off, don't be offended!), and had set out to thru-hike around March, I believe. He had a leg injury, if my memory serves me right, and had to take some time off. He came back to the Trail in May, and was trying to finish his thru-hike. Well, at this point, he told me he has decided to stop thru-hiking altogether, reasoning that he is a much better section-hiker than a thru-hiker. He appears to be kind of down about this decision of his, but I tell him that I don't look down upon him at all! Having hiked the distance that I have, and gone through the trials and tribulations that I have, I have much respect for anyone who at least tries to hike the Appalachian Trail! Most that set foot upon that famous beaten path, don't realize how difficult of a task it really is! I have only seriously considered stopping (as opposed to quitting) in direct proportion to injuries.We chat for a little while, with me eating PopTarts, wanting to take just a short break so I can right back to the Trail, and head into town. I'm craving pizza, and I'm still considering pushing on to the shelter North of town.Back on the Trail, I'm flying. I did the math, and figured I was doing right around 4-miles an hour at this point! Whether or not this is due to my sheer vitality, or just my sheer gluttony, I know not! The Trail goes over a roller-coaster section, with short up-and-downs right after the other. I counted them as I was going, but I forget now how many there were... maybe 6 or 7? Anyways, I would use the downward momentum to push as far up the next up as it could. On the way down, I meet two guys coming up, a father and son out hiking to Sams Gap. They ask me about the terrain, about the views, and about my hike. I ask them about any hikers North of here. After my telling them of Tyvek's hiking barefoot, they tell me there's a girl not too far ahead of me, also going barefoot! After saying goodbye, I let my stomach work like a kite, open to the wind of my hunger, carrying me down the mountainside.I fancy myself as an amateur photographer (read: one who isn't paid) can't help but stop at the MANY overlooks to the Nolichucky River and Gorge below. It is simply breathtaking, cliched as that word may be!Sure enough, not too far North, I come upon a female hiker, although she's wearing moccasins. She politely moves to the side as she hears me coming, and smiles, saying, "Have a nice day!" I press on, hungry hungry hungry.Before too long, the Trail comes out to paved road, and makes a left turn, heading towards a bridge that crosses the Nolichucky River. Coming in my direction is another hiker, whom I presume to be Dandelion. I have read of her in the registers for a good while now, also, and Griz said that she should be in town still, and he certainly hoped so, so he could say goodbye to her!It certainly is Dandelion, and she is looking for Griz, and decides to go sit by the river to read Thomas Merton while awaiting his arrival. I, for my part, head to Uncle Johnny's Hostel, right across the street from the Trail. I go talk to Johnny, at the cash register, to find out what it costs to stay, in case I end up staying. At his learning my Trail Name [Mouthpiece], he asks if I'm going to be a lawyer.The girl with moccasins arrives, and she plans on staying. Her name is Lontheir, and she was the barefoot girl. She said that she keeps moccasins on her, in case the rocks get overbearingly bad for her feet. Dandelion comes back from the river, patiently waiting for Griz; she, too, is thinking of pushing on for 4-miles to the next shelter. Then, High Life shows up from the showers! Lontheir, High Life, and myself pile into Johnny's car, and we head into town, High Life to Holiday Inn, where he's supposed to be picking up a mail drop, Lontheir and I to a pizza place, called Pizza Plus (nicknamed The Appalachian Trail Pizza Place, since it's in almost every single town along the Trail in the South).At Pizza Plus, I order a large pizza, replete with pepperoni, bacon, ham, sausage, pineapple, tomatoes, and banana peppers. This pizza is HUGE, yet I eat the entire thing in one sitting. Lontheir, if I remember right, ordered a medium, vegetarian pizza... she doesn't finish all of hers.After pizza, we walk across the street to a grocery store, where I buy my first box of Oatmeal Creme Pies. I've been wanting to buy these ever since I saw Trail maintainers eating them at the new Wayah Bald Shelter, well over 100-miles South of here. I merely forgot to buy them each time I go resupply! Each one of these pies has 370-calories! Hiker heaven!Johnny picks us up, and we head back to the hostel. There are several other hikers here, most of whom I've read of or heard about: Scott and 3-Day, particularly. Scott just hasn't a Trail Name, yet, and 3-Day got his because it took him 3-Day to hike the Approach Trail from Amicalola Falls State Park! With all of this good company, I can't imagine hiking on, even though I certainly feel physically up to it! Part of this trip is the people you meet!We head out to a Mexican Restaurant later, even though the thought of more food sounds repulsive to me! A nice cold beer sounds nice, though, so I tag along. I end up ordering food anyways, and actually eat most of it, in addition to a cold beer.On the way back to the hostel, Johnny stops for us to buy ice cream and/or beer for the evening. I purchase neither, yet do buy some new hydrocortizone! Let me tell you, a tube of that cream is well worth its weight!It pours rain again tonight. It is rainstorms such as this where one fully realizes where the phrase, "It's raining cats and dogs" comes from! After hanging out for a good while, and listening to many stories from this couple from Louisiana, I head off to bed, exhausted and feeling like I've eaten a wee bit too much food!