Date: 2006-05-16
From: Miss Janets House

To: Miss Janets House
Miles today: 19.0

Wow-where to even begin? This is one of those days on the trail that you will always carry with you. Magic was in the air, every where I went, all day long. Breakfast at Miss Janets in a study in controlled chaoe. 12, hehe, 18 probably people hanging in the kitchen and breakfast area. Everyone pitching in, washing a dish, setting a table, refilling someone's coffee, drying dishes, etc. All to a pumping techno beat from somewhere on the Internet. It truly is a community and family with an intangible but real connection and feeling. Janneha and I decided on the slack pack option. Magic is carrying 15 pounds on your back vs. 40. Janet and Ashtry ran us out to Iron Mountain Gap for the southbound hike into Erwin. It's 19 miles, but all I carried was our raingear, some snacks, headlamps, and my camera. When we pulled up to the Gap, Miss Janet recognized an old friend "Shoes" and his wife. They were there doing trail magic, see...theme of the day. We scored some cookies and pepsi and added them to the pack since we were still full of pancakes and breakfast. Today was the first slack pack and southbound hike. On our way up to Unaha, we ran across Treebear and Mary, and another couple we met back before Erwin. We chatted a bit with each of them as we met. There was a beautiful running spring deep in a rhododendron thicket where we stopped for water and a snack. I am totally spoiled for water now. Town water tastes like crap compared to the stuff that flows out of the mountains. A few hundred feet up, we entered the forest on Unaha. It was a thick forest of fir? trees. The forest floor was carpeted with pine needles, and almost everything fallen to the ground, rock, stump, were covered with bright green moss and lichen. Janneha remarked it felt like the forbidden forest outside of Harry Potter's school, Hogwarts? It felt very old and spooky. The overcast skies and stiff breeze contributed to the overall feeling. Down the hill and up a few miles, we summitted Beauty Spot, and incredible bald. It's the spot we were going to party last night, and guess what? The party was today. Even though we knew Hobo Joe and TBC would be there, it was a welcome sight. More magic! As we crested the hill, someone shouted out, it's Pacer and Diesel, and a cheer broke out. A fire was going, full bar in action, and the guitar and drum were getting passed around. Hobo Joe showed me his Ultralight backback gear, cool stuff. There were about a dozen people there when we showed up. Grabbed a spot around the fire and made a margarita. We'd hiked about nine miles at this point. We had been dropped off at 12:30 and it was now about 4:30. Journey was playing guitar and everyone wassinging along. At one point, Joe mentioned he lost his car key. We decided we'd better get looking for it before we got lazy and it got dark. He and I walked down to his car, figuring we better start there before we dashed off into the woods again. The key turned up in five minutes, it had slipped into a pocket on the side of a diffel bag. Heah! Back to the top of the hill and Diesel and I figured we better move on out. It was around 6:30. My, how time flies. As we were preparing to leave, Here comes the Sun was played on the guitar, and no kidding, the clouds cleared out, and the sun shone through. Diesel and I bid farewell and set ou giddily down the trail. We had 11 miles to go and the sun sets at 8:30. We walk 2.5mph, oops, do the math. Diesel told me she couldn't remember a better day. I agreed wholeheartedly. Around 9:00, we donned our headlamps. Night fell fast and the trees were tall. First slackpack, first night hike, too cool for words. We hauled ass down the trail, over bridges, and logg crossing with only our headlights to show the way. We called Janet from Curly Maple Gap shelter, four miles out. We walked up the trailhead just as Janet and Hokie pulled up, 10:40. We asked for a McD's drive through, they were heading there anyway. As we pulled up into the drive through, they cut the lights, but took our order. Back to Janets around 11:05 only to find Beamis and Southpaw!! They dropped by after their four sensor SOBO to hang at Janets and head up to Trail Days. Remember, I met them in Hiawassee a month ago. As I re-introduced myself, they remembered my beer gift back then. Southpaw is clean shaven and his hair is way short. Quite a different look from his 10 month beard and do I met him in. We laughed that we've traded looks, as my beard has lengthened and thickened over the last four weeks. There's no one else here, quite a contrast to the full house this morning. There's been so much magic and fun today, I can hardly stand it! Peace.