Date: 2003-06-04
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy Birthday, Angela, wherever you are. I wish I knew!I¢m sure I¢ll be sorry in the morning when Anne is up and ready to go and I am tired and groggy, but there is no way I can sleep right now.We all got an early start this morning, peeling off one by one ¢ Anne, then Ben and Joe, then Hal, finally David and I, leaving John filtering his water from the spring. Anne and Hal, Ben and Joe were headed to Davenport Gap to be picked up to stay at Standing Bear Farm, a hostel on Waterville Road. When I wasn¢t sure that David was coming last night I agreed I¢d do that too; now it kind of depended on what David could/wanted to do. He enjoyed the company of my new friends, too, especially the way they welcomed him in last night, and was motivated to push to catch up with them, too.So David and I hiked together this morning. He is the man, coming ¢off the street¢ to do 15+ miles yesterday, and raring to go at it again today. I hope he didn¢t feel too much like he pushed himself for ¢my sake¢ ¢ I¢m sure he could tell I felt a little torn between taking it easy with him and the pull ever northward, with new friends, and thoughts of a bed, real food, and shower tonight¢¦.The day began with fog and a light rain again, but it looked promising. As we climbed Tri Corner Knob we came into bright sunshine and blue skies and I rejoiced for Ann¢s sake ¢ the weather really wore on her yesterday; as it does on us all eventually. I said many prayers for her as I walked along that today would be better!Soon we were in an ethereal rhododendron forest, descending into the mist, the sun¢s rays visible had gone now. It was magical for a while, but eventually the magic wore off and it was just a damp, dreary forest again. We passed in and out of rhododendrons (now in bloom some of them! A bright fuchsia color that went well with the mist, David said), evergreens, and ferns. Our pace was excellent ¢ I think I¢m getting stronger at last. My rests are fewer and farther between. I also notice I hike much better with someone behind me ¢ I push myself that little bit harder.We caught up to the others for lunch at Cosby Knob Shelter, myself before David, as he had stopped to doctor his feet just as the rain threatened to be nasty again.The others soon left, anxious to get to their shuttle at Davenport Gap. David debated; his feet often give him problems with long distance hiking, and he wasn¢t sure whether he should stay there or push on. Eventually ¢want¢ won out over logic and we headed out.David is a very kind and gentle soul. A phlegmatic to the core! He was a welcome hiking partner today. It was so exciting last night to see someone I knew for the first time in three weeks! Great today to talk with someone with a common background and perspective.Oh, and I tried out my boots today. They did well ¢ until the five-mile descent into Davenport Gap! About halfway down I changed back into my Chacos. My feet will have to get used to being closed in again! The constant pounding of the down hills wore on my toes. I am anxious to get to Hot Springs and get some Super Feet inserts (hope I can find them there¢¦.) to try out for more cushioning. It was nice not to have to navigate quite so carefully around the mud puddles for a while.David and I arrived at Davenport Gap just minutes after Ben, Joe and Anne had called for the shuttle from Standing Bear. Hal-the-Machine went on to hike the three or so miles between there and the hostel. Anne and I will return to slack pack it tomorrow; Ben and Joe are taking off to Hot Springs. I really wanted to keep hiking and do those three miles myself, but the prospect of the coming car, and a real bathroom were too attractive and I gave in. David had decided to call his friends to pick him up at Standing Bear; they¢d agreed to shuttle him from wherever he got to back to his car at Newfound Gap either tonight or tomorrow night.Maria arrived momentarily in a mini-van cluttered with children¢s toys and objects. She talked openly the whole ten-minute drive. Her obliging attitude made it apparent that their priority was catering to our needs.Standing Bear Farm is ¢¦ rustic. I don¢t think it¢s quite what any of us had in mind, but it provided us with a shower, laundry, food, beer (those that wanted it) and a dry, comfortable place to sleep. Set in the middle of nowhere, and yet a mere mile from I-40 right between Asheville, NC and Knoxville, TN, a chattering brook divides the log cabin type hiker facilities from Maria and Craig¢s pretty home. A cabin, bunkhouse, privy, two showers, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, and laundry/library/Internet kiosk make up the whole of the hiker facilities. Oh, and a teepee. Aside from the privy, everything is more than satisfactory. The opportunity to just ¢sit and hang¢ with newfound friends was priceless. (Actually $15 for the stay, $5 for the shuttle, $7 or so for a whole medium sized pizza all to myself.)Joe and Ben and I headed almost immediately for the showers ¢ boy, did it feel good. I need to plan these stops a little better now, coordinate them better with my mail drops schedule; this is the second shower I¢ve had without really being prepared. I love the scent of my peppermint citronella camp suds, but even on short hair they¢re not the greatest shampoo! At least towels were provided here!Once we were cleaned up Toby, another NOBO who had arrived before us, took our pizza orders. I ordered a veggie pizza with all the fixings, envisioning something Napa Valley worthy¢¦ It came back with olives, mushrooms and banana peppers. I ate all but two of the ten (?) pieces, as well as a good-sized salad. This was after snacking on Trail Mix and other various sundry items from the hiker box (I ignored the question, ¢How long has this been in here?¢) and David¢s castoff food items.It was a classic scene: eleven hikers sitting around the fire pit, each with their own medium sized pizza! David (photographer that he is) took a shot. Several of the pizzas were devoured in one sitting!We each took our turns at the washer and dryer and the phone. David¢s ride came, and I eventually ventured onto the Internet and received the most exciting news of the day! I¢ll never forget Standing Bear Farm; talking to my sister on the phone, watching a zillion fireflies (first ones I¢ve seen out here, interestingly enough), the sound of the spin cycle echoing in the background, not knowing what to say, feeling actually far away. Congratulations, sis. I¢m excited.So I guess that¢s one reason I can¢t sleep in spite of the fact that I hiked 15+ miles today and it¢s 1:15 am. (Does that mean my body is adjusting?) After lying in bed in the bunkhouse listening to Hal snore for a while, I came out and stoked the fire.I¢m also faced with a dilemma ¢ I made plans to meet friends at Davenport Gap Friday to take Saturday off again and have a home-cooked meal or two, a shower and church. Being a tad low on food, I went ahead and pushed on through to here today. Plus I¢ve enjoyed the company of these great people the last four nights. I wasn¢t ready to let go of them yet! So here I am two days ahead, and the northward pull is getting me. What to do? Call and cancel? Slack pack a day or two? Hang out here? I need a look at a map to figure out where I am, if Chad and Andy might be able to pick me up somewhere else. Maybe Hot Springs.And the demons. Just have to keep giving that one to God.Finally, lesson for the day: Carry enough cash to pay for stuff like this¢¦they don¢t take credit cards in the backwoods!