Date: 2012-06-28
From: Watauga Lake

To: Vandeventer shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

Actual miles hiked was more like 14 because ....Karen and Paul had asked me to leave the radio on so it looked like the spot was occupied. I went to sleep to the sound of BBC World News (better than a sleeping pill).I was woken up around 11:30 by noises that I knew right away was the bear getting my food bag. After he left, I inspected the damage and my cooking bag was intact, but everything else was demolished or gone. Threw some logs on the fire and went back in the tent. I considered trying to press on, but I was 40 miles from Damascus and I couldn't make it on no food. I also considered trying to get a shuttle to Damascus and abandon the rest of the trip. But I figured I would be too scared to ever come back and re- try this section.So in the morning I cleaned the mess up. The bear had ripped the food bag open like a pi±ata. Was kind of proud that my knots held. I had one ziplock with electrolyte tablets, Neosporin, Advil, water treatment drops, and some powdered drinks. The only other salvageable item was a packet of cinnamon flavored organic peanut butter.I struck out for the town of Hampton, which was about a 7 mile round trip. I always feel sorry seeing the crap food the other hikers eat and here I was buying it - Cheezits, Pringles, Pop Tarts, and Lipton sides.Got back to the lake around 10:30. Starting talking to this woman Darla and her husband Bobby. They are sort of hiking southbound, and sort of living on the trail. Then we all started talking to this young tattooed couple who have been living at the lake with their 6 kids for 26 days (the ranger had just told them they had to move on). I guess they would be considered bums, but now they're kind of "my people". Darla offered me some coffee and I got out my silicone squishy bowl- big gash in it from a tooth or claw. Dang bear! The tattooed guy said the bear was a big 600- pounder and it was really hard to hang something high enough so he couldn't get it, which made me feel a little better. 600 pounds seems like an exaggeration, but maybe if it's been eating camper food ...The temperature was supposed to go to 96, so I was in no hurry to start hiking in the middle of the day. I went to the Watauga Lake shelter and got water. I went to the shelter and talked to some guys from Oklahoma who were on the last day of a hike from Damascus. They were talking about what they packed but didn't need. One guy, who was kind of the gear head, was looking at my pack and commented that you could keep your dirty and clean clothes separate. I kind of gave him a hard time by saying "You pack a change of clothes?!" I could tell the other guys were getting a kick out of someone telling him he overpacked when he was probably the one always lecturing them about that.Finally started hiking for real at 1 pm. The original plan was to go to the next shelter after this but the re-supply kind of ate up the day. I had to go over the dam and up a road with no shade and then into the woods for a 1700 foot climb. By then it was brutally hot and it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. By 4 pm, the sun wasn't so fierce and a breeze picked up a little, but I still had hours of hiking. I was really struggling. I came to a spring that was dried up and knew my only wateroption was the shelter. I had been seeing some bear poop and then at 5:30 I saw a bear. He turned around and ran away - phew! I got to the shelter that I was expecting to be empty and creepy and a woman Melissa was there with her dog. She is practicing for a 5 week section hike later this summer. I was so glad to see them both (dogs usually keep bears away).Then I had to go get water which I knew was an ordeal at this shelter - says it's 0.3 miles but it is unbelievably far down a steep steep hill. Took 40 minutes to get water.Made my Lipton Cheddar and Broccoli Rice dish and could only eat half. Those things are really disgusting. Melissa kindly said she would pack it out. We hung our food - just as bad as when I do it alone. She and the dog are in the tent and I am in the shelter (too lazy to set up tent).These Tennessee shelters all seem to have no privies and no bear cables. From the Watauga to Damascus seems to have no redeeming value at all. My last 4 days were supposed to be 10 miles, 14 miles, 16 miles, 10 miles, but now it looks like it'll be 14 miles tomorrow and 18 miles the next, and both days are supposed to be about 100 degrees. Looking forward to being done.