Date: 2012-06-19
From: stream campsite

To: pond campsite
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: broken clouds

(While fixing my coffee)I am sitting about 4 miles from Damascus, I think at a campsite near the stream. My tent is tucked away into a semi circle of Rhododendrons and the ground is quite soft. I am making my one luxery of the trail. I have coffee from Mojo's. I boil my water, pour it through the grounds into my Nalgene with a MSR filter and enjoy the dawning of the day. My tent is packed up and I am ready to get started.I met up with Nice Spot, now known as Turtle, and we meandered our way here yesterday afternoon. Figured out what my problem was when leaving Damascus. I was town poisoned. I had eaten half a pizza and an order of bread sticks before I stared walking. It was my belly that was getting in my way. Turtle met up with me at the first sit down place on the climb out. We agreed that many have suffered as we did. Coupled with the full packs, we are lucky to have gotten any further than there. We hiked to this campsite and decided to call it a night. He is good company and one of the only people my age that I have met out here, though there are more than when I first started. Seems like the Trail has become a popular retreat for many age groups. There is a different feel to it now, or maybe, I have changed my perspective over the years.Turtle is good company and has many interesting things to talk about. It is cool that I have been hiking enough miles to have shared events with others, even if we were not there together. Out here, a difficult section, a strange man on an ATV, families visiting memorials, bears in the night...all become a part of our shared journey. There is a sense of validation that someone knows what you have seen. Like reading trailjournals before hiking. I had read about this dude who killed a rattlesnake in Georgia with a sling shot. Low and behold, I am walking and run into a guy named 3 Shot, when I asked how he got his name he said something about a rattlesnake...I was able to tell him the story. It was not something I was witness to, but he was shocked the story had traveled so far. I have so many stories. I have been reading about this trail and dreaming about this trail for a long while. I was thinking of changing my trail name. Turtle said my name should be Storyteller. As I walked away from that conversation, I looked at my colorful, duct taped hiking poles and wondered if my new name was Story Sticks. As soon as I thought this, a small stick presented itself on the trail and wanted to travel with me. I have it stuck into the open area by my hip strap. I'll try the new name out. If it does not stick, I will know who I really am.9:47 pm Pond CampsiteThe fire is a gentle glow with the backdrop of bull frogs calling in the night. I am sitting on a log, after a pretty good day of hiking. I am not bone sore and weary as I was the the first week. My body has developed a steady pace. My ankle only hurts if I do not place my foot right, which has made me more aware of how my feet want to work and how I let them work. I think of the Barefoot Sisters while I walk. Any time I want to complain I look down and say-they did this barefoot- and suck it up. I remember them writing that the foot knows what to do. When I let my foot work, let my toes spread out and grip, use my instinct rather than hiking poles to make my next step, look ahead as well as down, I find that my feet know what to do and when I am not in tune to this, my body hurts more. I somehow hurt my glut trying to pack and escape from the Saunders Shelter area. There was a hornet that hovered over my bag on the picnic table. It was scary and very loud. It would turn and follow me with it's eyes and was as big as a humming bird. I could SEE it staring at me. Turtle and I went for the spring to get water to give it some space and then grabbed out packs and hauled butt out of there when we got back and it was not there. A day hiker was there, can't remember who. I just hurried myself away, calling out a warning as I fled...I had to walk very carefully for the remaining distance and can not describe the pain. I just wanted to sit down and cry but thought of that hornet and kept walking. It is better now, but I am being very cautious and not making any quick moves. There are several people out here. A group of day hikers passed and a few couples...only 2 thru hikers. It is getting late in the season for them to be this far south, but several who started in May are getting through this section. I seem to be keeping pace with a group from Texas, with the dogs and some solo hikers like Turtle. It is cool for others to have noticed me at different places. I do not think about what people see of me as I walk. I am just thinking about others....Water has not been a problem and it seems as though there are more sources than in the Shennies. I created a Spring right before this campsite. My nose can sniff out water better than anyone around. It just seems to know where it is. I will use it tomorrow as the vision I had of the pond and the reality of what it is are two different things. I will not be drinking this brackish water, regardless the fact it has the biggest frogs I have ever seen. They could be mutants for all I know. I prefer to dig through the leaves, mud and rocks to get spring water. The pond is only an emergency water source to be sure. I am going to take the Creeper to White Top Mountain tomorrow. I would risk the climb, however I am in need of calories again and the risk is not worth it. I may be doing this, but I want to have fun and Spirit is guiding me around that mountain. I ate mashed potatoes again, but am craving a burger. I need some red meat I have decided. I ate over 2000 calories of junk. Discovered a honey bun that has 630 calories each!