Date: 2010-05-27
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Priest Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Packed up and out by 7:15am. Everyone still out cold across the river. I had a camp spot alone to myself. Cereal and tea for breakfast. Ran into Conan and Backwards. Staying behind them to pace myself. Trying for the Priest Shelter. The register there is used as a confessional!Thought about all the things we use to distract ourselves from reality. Radios help the time go by while suffering uphill but you can't hear the breeze. Maybe you don't appreciate the subtle good things happening around you. You drink coffee, tea or take a drug and it's like you're insulated from your surroundings. You carry what you fear most. Maybe you use these things, iPhones, caffine, nicotine, giant sun hats because you're afraid you can't do it without them. You've made it 800 miles so you were capable of doing it without help. I want to feel the breeze and hear it so I can realize that it's not all bad. I want to feel the pain because it keeps you from hurting yourself further. I don't want to dull this experience. If it's going to suck, I want to suffer because that's how I learn the best. I want to bleed, crap and export all the drama and trials of this trail. My heart is open and I understand that if you're going to have fun it's got to hurt. I want to feel every drop of sweat pouring from my skin just as much as every adrenaline rush from a fantastic experience. I want the lows to be as bottomless as they can be so the highs will be sweater! "The lower you fall, the higher you'll fly" - Chuck Palahniuk. The way the crap flies buzz off their moist dinner as you disturb them, just might be the trigger to one of those moments that you'll remember forever. Maybe one of the crap flies will end up in your mouth and you'll have an epiphany that will change your whole life. You couldn't hear them with ear phones on. I want to be a conductor, not an insulator. To carry on this electric charge to someone else. I want to hear my brothers and sisters struggling for this goal. I don't want to miss the subtle things like how hard my friends are breathing. I want every single millimeter of skin tingle that I can get from those vistas. I don't want to miss something as subtle as my brothers and sisters sweat dropping on the leaves around the trail in front of me. I want to feel connected. Even if it means additional discomfort and pain.Sat on the swing under an oak tree for three hours. Hiding from the sun. Writing and talking with a group of high school boys that were out for their senior project on the negative affects of a technologically inclined society. Did I mention it's hot!? Thinking of a night hike, it's a full moon. Swing broke but I caught myself before falling. It was a sign I should leave. Long hike to the next shelter. Made dinner into a chaotic mess because my freezer bag has a hole in it. I don't use pots. I use freezer bags because I'm lazy and don't want to wash out my equipment. Stretcher helped me save my dinner. Food all over me, my bag, my food bag, the picnic table, and even Kelly the poor dog that was under the counter top. Flies so bad here that I couldn't wait for it to get dark. Tonight is the full moon. AROOOOO!!! Confused hiking up a road to Spy Rock. The blazes are pretty faded and appear like it's an old section of the AT. Thought they re-routed it because this is nothing but a rocky country road.At Spy Rock there was a blue tarp waving in the breeze beyond the huge fully bloomed Rhodo's lining both sides of the trail. Just beyond it, I could see a large rock with so much potential for a sunset vista! I ran up it trusting in the grip of my muddy, wet, broken boots because it's steep and high up. 360 views did not disappoint! Best views in a long time! Nice spot to return to one day. Pink and rose colored clouds in front of a soft yellow sun. Couldn't see the shape of the sun so I wondered if it's already below the horizon. Climbed down and headed for the Priest Shelter at dusk!I was navigating the rocky terrain with my head down when I heard a startling rustle in the bushes. I looked up and right beside a volkswagon sized rock, a shadowy figure whirled around and ran away. The shadow had two round ears. The dark object had a large round rump that was as big as any ass I'd seen around a buffet line! Awkwardly running away and toppling every bush in its path. It's definitely not a deer. It's a black bear! My first one! The rain threat made me pack away my camera of course. I wouldn't have had enough time for a phone anyways. Spooked a little, but surprisingly unafraid to continue my night hike. Jumpy though.Didn't see anymore wildlife. No noises either. Thunder and lightening in the distance. Walked briskly and had enough time to set up my tent at the Priest campsite before the storm hit. Felt bad about making such a racket setting the tent up. Noises off in the distance sounded like deer or some creature moving around. Unconcerned due to exhaustion. That's the best part about being tired. If a bear stole all my food, I'd be in town tomorrow! Optimistic! Huge storm with loud thunder and a light show tonight. Tent held up amazingly. Cool in my fleece bag with the cold front moving by. Storm passed by quickly but not until it rained in sheets and buckets. Sounded like a tin roof inside my shelter. Mouse visited me tonight. He was digging through my gear. He stood up on my backpack with his front feet on my bug net. BAM! I smacked him at least 6 feet away. No more mice visits and peaceful sleep! Ahhhhhhhhhh.