Date: 2004-06-16
From: Calf Mountain Hut

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The rain stopped during the early morning leaving freshness in the air I have never before experienced. Fern and I altered our breakfast plans to expedite getting on the trail a bit faster. She got a 10-minute head start on me as where treated a liter of water at the spring and talked with ¢Crash¢ and his dog Cadbury, about my fond recollections of his hometown, Toronto. Fern Having given Fern a comparable head start on previous occasions I figured I¢d catch up with her after 20 to 30 minutes without any problem. But after 45 minutes of having crested both summits of Calf Mountain and still not having found her, I began to wonder if perhaps she turned in the wrong direction when the access trail from the shelter reached the AT. Panic began to set in as I envisioned her happily trudging northbound, each step taking her further away from our planned 3:00 pm rendezvous with our designated ¢Trail Angels,¢ Roberta and Bill.After an hour of not finding her, I had convinced myself that there was no way she had encountered a problem of some sort) could still be ahead of me. I became all the more convinced of this as I entered the meadow basin that marks Beagle Gap, affording a clear 12 mile view of the trail ahead as it winds its way up the side of Bear Mountain. So, I stashed my pack in some bushes under a tree, grabbed my camelback and first aid kit (just in case she had encountered a problem of some sort) and started to retrace my steps. Just as I was about to re-enter the woods going north-bound this time, I gave one last glance over my shoulder at the trail to the south and here there she was, a tiny figure moving through the meadow up Bear Mountain. Putting my monocular to my eye I confirmed it was none other than ¢Fleet Footed Fern¢ who had kept ahead of my lanky marathon pace for well over an hour. Thank heaven I spotted her before back-tracking to find her! Back together we crossed over Bear Mountain, enjoyed our last meal on the Trail and made our way to Rockfish Gap in time to meet my sister and brother-in-law at the appointed time.Back on Periwinkle Lane in New Market we spent the rest of the day cleaning gear, doing laundry, showering (plus a dip in the hot tub next door for Fern) and enjoying Ribeye steaks and fried oysters at a local roadhouse where you can always eat ¢under a buck¢ as dining room walls are covered by stuffed deer-head trophies. As we related our tales and adventure from the past five days to Roberta and Bill, the success of our undertaking became evident. Fern had experienced many aspects of life on the Trail¢the planning, and the modification of those plans based on simply ¢How things are going¢ at any particular moment. She had a sample of tenting and of staying in the shelters. She experienced the open embrace of the AT community, endured rain and cold and humidity and aches and blisters and came through it all with a sense of accomplishment and awe and a desire to do more. With nearly 50 miles of AT hiking now under her belt, she¢s ready to go it alone, if and when the call of the Trail echoes in her ears. It was a great five days for both of us and, best of all we didn¢t kill each other. As a matter of fact, we¢re still friends!