Date: 2017-05-09
From: Hightop Hut

To: Hazeltop 
Miles today: 16.5

It was cold again overnight, 32°F. I didn't see any signs of freezing, but others did. The day dawned crisp and clear. It stayed that way all day, with outstanding visibility. Coffee and oatmeal warmed me. I've taken to combining Fruit Crisps with two packs of Quaker Instant Oatmeal in a freezer bag, adding boiling water, and putting it in my cozy to soak. It's my favorite trail breakfast. I stopped for lunch at South River Picnic Area, hoping to find potable water so I wouldn't need to use (and taste) the chemical tablets. There were several water spigots, but signs warned the water needed to be treated. Disappointing! Although it was sunny, the air was still cool and there was a breeze, so I didn't linger. The air had warmed a little by the time I reached Lewis Mountain Campground, which did have potable water. I filled my bottles and stopped by the camp store. The camp stores carry everything a car camper could ever want, but almost nothing for backpackers. Fortunately, car campers enjoy ice cream. As I was eating my ice cream sandwich on a bench outside the store, Towelie joined me. He's a smart, enthusiastic, and supportive 19-year-old thru-hiker. I think he walks 25 miles a day, but he advances only about 17 up the trail. The other 8 miles he walks are to visit waterfalls and other sites of interest off the trail. But he's no flake: he knows exactly what pace he needs to maintain to meet his deadline--he even maintains a bank of zero days in case he wants or needs to take time off the trail. I like him.I passed a large, spread-out group of retired women, day hiking in the opposite direction. I stopped briefly to chat with a couple of them. I also encountered a trail maintainer who told me he had been volunteering in the park for 30 years; I thanked him profusely for making the trail more enjoyable. Hikers enthuse about trail angels who leave food and other goodies, but the trail maintainers are the unsung heroes of the AT. The entire 2200-mile trail is maintained by volunteers who remove deadfall, cut back branches, mow weeds, fix drainage problems, move rocks into place, and more. It's hard work, and the trail wouldn't be the treasure it is without the maintainers.Late in the afternoon, I blue-blazed (detoured) to the summit of Bearfence Mountain for more views on this beautiful clear day. I completed most of a long rock scramble, but eventually turned around after nearly bumping my head on an overhanging rock. I hadn't seen any other hikers in a while, it was getting late, I was tired, and I still needed to find a place to camp. My topo map suggested there might be some flat area to set up camp on the far side of the next peak, Hazeltop. Sure enough, I spied a promising spot 30-40 yards back from the trail close to where I expected to find one. It turned out to be perfect: lightly used, flat, and mostly obscured from the trail. I arrived a little before 6:30, and was "lights out" by 8:00, well before dark. SETTING UP CAMP: Long-distance hiking is more about hiking than camping. The picnic table at a shelter is a social gathering spot, but there's obviously not much socializing when you're overnighting alone at a stealth campsite. My routine takes about an hour:1. Find tent site, set up footprint, tent, and rain fly. 2. Inflate sleeping pad, unroll and fluff up sleeping pad.3. Pick a spot to cook and eat, away from the tent.4. Find a suitable tree branch for hanging a bear bag, away from sleeping and eating areas. Tie a rock to a length of paracord, and throw it over the branch. This usually involves a few (or more) failed attempts and some cursing. 5. Dig a 6" cat hole at least 200' from the campsite and mark it with a twig. I find it easier to do this in the evening than in the morning, when nature can call urgently. 6. Cook and eat supper. Roll up tomorrow's lunch tortilla while supper is rehydrating in a freezer bag.7. Clean up. Move everything scented (food, stove, trash, sunscreen, lip balm, toothbrush, etc.) from pack and pants pockets into food bag.8. Tie food bag to paracord and hoist it out of bears' reach (4' below limb, 4' away from tree trunk, 10' off the ground). 8a. Lower food bag to add the item I forgot earlier. There's always something!9. Crawl into tent, change into dry socks (the best!) and long johns, snuggle into sleeping bag, write journal entry, fall asleep. The birds wake me every morning at dawn. My brain and my bladder argue about whether to get up or sleep a little longer. Then I reverse the process from the night before, and I start walking. (Putting on cold, wet socks is the worst!) For some reason, it takes me twice as long to get moving in the morning as it does to get to bed in the evening.