Date: 2005-03-24
From: Tri-Corner Knob shelter

To: stealth camp 1.9 miles south of Snowbird Mtn.
Miles today: 20.9

start: Tri-Corner Knob shelterfinish: stealth camp 1.9 miles south of Snowbird Mtn.miles: 20.9day: 17We're looking pretty good regarding our run for the Hot Springs PO.  24 miles tomorrow over Snowbird, Max Patch, and others will put us within comfortable striking distance.Today, though long, was fairly easy.  We only had snowy trail for the first 3 miles or so.  When we stopped for 2nd breakfast around 10:00, we had almost 8 miles done.Hmm, perhaps a definition is in order.  Society short-sightedly only allows for three meals per day.  Thru-hikers need much more, so we've started having 2nd and 3rd breakfasts, and sometimes 2nd dinners as well.  Works for us!Even though we're racing to the PO, we still wanted to have time to go to Mountain Momma's for burgers and fries.  So we really cruised to Davenport Gap, getting there before 1:00.  Unfortunately we then had to WALK the 1.3 miles to the restaurant, as the gravel switchbacked road leading to it was totally deserted.  Thru-hikers hate miles that don't count.  Our AT mileage today is 20.9, but our feet say 22.2.Anyway, we got well fed, and signed the restaurant's hiker register as "turbo moosie" and "go go goldilocks".  Then the owner ran us back up to the trail.  Who should we see there but Sabotage and Running Moon, looking for a ride down.  I tried to get Momma to lie and say that we had eaten the last cheese burgers, but she couldn't do it with a straight face.We headed on to Standing Bear Farm where Stumpknocker had left our box of extra food.  We still had too much food in that box, so left some in a hiker box.I've had trouble finding my soda of choice on the southern AT.  Normally I don't drink soda, but when hiking I find that root beer goes down very well.  But no place down here has it.  But Mtn. Momma does, so Goldilocks and I each had one there.  Then when we got to Standing Bear Farm, they had root beer, so we each had one - again.  Then we opened our box and found that Stumpknocker had put four root beers in there for us.  So we packed one and drank the other, making that three sodas each within two hours.  Burrp.  Thanks Stumpknocker!So now with somewhat heavier packs we headed up the flank of Snowbird Mountain.  The slanting afternoon sun was still pretty warm at this low elevation.  We had been above 5000 feet for the past three or four days, and now we're back down below 2000, climbing back up.  Eventually we found a nice flat camping area near a couple of small streams.  After we were all set up, other hikers came by and camped as well: Sabotage, Running Moon, and Johnny Blaze.We had some evening entertainment listening to Sabotage trying to toss a bear bag line over a tree limb, until he decided to just sleep with his food like the rest of us.Moosie Health Update:I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but keep forgetting.Head and chest cold: gone.Metatarsal problem with left foot: completely corrected by cutting a precise hole in the forefoot of the orthotic, and using a pad under and behind the hole.  I'm amazed that this simple solution worked so well, but it's been working for the last 190 miles.Twisted ankle: OK, but still wrap with Ace bandage, as it sometimes hurts a bit.  I'm sure the muscles i the lower leg will strengthen eventually.  They really take a beating on the trail.There was an owl hooting near our campsite earlier, the kind that sounds like "who cooks for you?"  Does anyone know what kind of owl this is?  Is it a barn owl? (there aren't any barns nearby...)