Date: 2008-01-08
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

mi. 9.1sleep shelterdest. Sassafras Gap Shelter day I think I now how the Bufflo Bill fans of the 90's feel. I listened to the Bucks lose last night on the radio. 3 lost national championships in 2 years. Getting kind of old. I was able to get a little more sleep last night. I still didn't fall asleep until after 12. I did have a great fire going until then. One of those nice ones that light up the shelter. Got to love it when the firepit is right infront of the shelter. This morning I woke up at the usual trail time of 6:30am. But I figured why get up now and went back to sleep. I still managed to get packed up and headed south by 9. Unfortunatly I listened to the weather this morning. Not looking great. Had I been healthy I would have pulled at least 20 yesterday, probibly today too. Not looking to good coming up. Tonight chance of thunderstorms. Thursday another chance of thunder storms. Seriously thunderstorms in freakin January. I listened twice just to make sure I heard correctly. It will be kind of cool if it happens. It gets better from there. Going to get cold again. Saturday highs in the 40's and lows in the 20's. Staying in the 20's or colder at night through at least monday. With rain or snow sunday and monday. I guess winter came back. And here I was thinking I dogged a big one being off trail last week when the last one came through. BTW I just saw a mouse a couple feet away in the shelter. Now I am going to be picturing it crawling on my face as I sleep. Can't say I am worried about bears anymore. Mice eating my food or gear is another story. The hike went really good. No hypothermia to speak of. It did look like rain and I could tell a front was coming through. But no cold chills to speak of. Had to throw that out for my friend Doctari. He got his first case of hypothermia going over the bald I went over on a northbound section hike and recovered at the shelter I stayed at last night. I almost had to use my dog replient today. I bought a small thing of pepper stray when I was home. Soley for strange dogs. Right before Cheahah bald I saw a dog run around a corner at me and run off the trail. Another one behind it barked at me, then took off north on the trail. I thought maybe there would be someone in the area. But I didn't see anyone. I didn't get a good look at them but I am not sure they were hunting dogs. They probibly were. I heard some yesterday and saw a truck with a dog box in back. One of these days, but at least now I have something to use on it other than stabbing it with my trekking pole. Stabbing them just moved to option 2. I was planning to go almost 17 today. I got to the shelter and didn't like the way the weather looked. The forcast this morning said the storms would come in the late afternoon. It was already 1:30. It was 7.7 to the next shelter. I really did not feel like getting caught out in it. So I took another short day. Why not. Plus this will give the people behind me a chance to catch up. I tired to get fancy with my firestarting today. Usually I do what I learned from Catz and get everything ready before I light it. I break everything up and get all the firewood I need. Then light it. Here there was a lof of wood laying around. I grabbed a couple handfulls and started from there. No prep work. I wented to see if I could get it going. One of those, this is the bare minimun to do when I am freezing things. I learned an important lesson. I still need to do the prep work. I finally got it going but it took 3 times as long and a lot more work, along with over twice the wood. Lesson learned, prep each time. I am sharing the shelte tonight with a weekender. Which makes 2 shelters shared in the smokies, this one, then the shelter at McAfee knob. I think it was awhile before then. He said that MissingLink and John were just behind him. But they haven't shown yet. No sign of Torque. He said he hadn't seen him yet and he stayed at Cable Gap last night. I think we got our signals crossed. I told Torque I was staying at the first shelter north of Fontana Dam on Sunday. I forgot to say Fontana Dam Villege. He was probibly thinking I would be a the Fontana Hilton Shelter (called that since it is a fancy shelter, not a hotel). He sould be one shelter back from me tonight. He should still be able to catch up. I also wasnted to take 1 more shorter day to give the ankle some time. It feels really good. I think tomorrow I will go farther depending on the weather. I also need to stop by the NOC outdoors center tomorrow and grab some more food. I wasn't thinking I was going to go as slow. Depending on the selection I may skip Franklin. If not it is only a day or so south.