Date: 2005-05-22
From: Catawba Mountain Shelter

To: Rucker Knob
Miles today: 11.4

Four am came extremely early, and none of us wanted to get up when the alarm on Bug's watch went off. I can say this now: thankfully, Bug had to get up to answer nature's call and Gotta Go thought he was getting up to start hiking, so we all got up. I have to admit though, I could have rolled over and gone right back to sleep.It was still pitch black when we started moving, and we packed up by the light of our LED headlamps. Bug and I ate our Coconut Fudge granola bars, and set out on the darkened trail ahead of us.We missed a turn in the trail and walked into a campsite, but quickly discovered our mistake and headed up Catawba Mountain as quickly as we could. I'm not sure if it is because we were so sleepy, that it was dark and we couldn't see, that the sun hadn't come up and it was pretty chilly, or a combination of the three; but the thousand foot climb over the course of a mile up to McAfee Knob didn't wear on us nearly as bad as we had anticipated. We arrived just in time to catch first light and it was gorgeous as we saw hues of pink, yellow, purple, and blue on the horizon over lakes of clouds lying low in the valleys between the mountains. We had Foto of the Garland 5, snap several pictures of us on the knob silouetted by the rising sun. We quickly pulled out the sleeping bag and wrapped up as we finished off a honey bun and chocolate covered espresso beans.I wish I could think of words to express what an amazing sight this was. McAfee Knob is a beautiful place to begin with, but to see the sun with its bright orange glow, peak over the top of the horizon and slowly rise took my breath away. It truly was awe-inspiring and left each of us speechless to see God's grace and beauty displayed in such an incredible way. I am so thankful that I have the ability and privelege to be out here experiencing the good and the bad; for even the bad gives us perspective on how infinitely small we are, and how blessed we are to be given life. The rest is just icing on the cake! It is easy to understand out here that we are promised nothing, not another day and certainly not easy living. The upside is that out here it is easier to have the eyes of a child! We discover new things each day and can greater appreciate the beauty around us. Flowers, bugs, weather changes...all of these things I have come to appreciate more. I don't dread rai!n and feel the need to set up my tent immediately, nor do I feel as if I can't get wet at all. Without rain, we wouldn't have water to drink and it would be much hotter on the trail as we hike. As nice as it is to hike on bright sunny days, after 4+ in a row, you start noticing that creeks begin to dry up.I will stop rambling, but the point is I guess, that life is too short to sleep through a beautiful sunrise. After about an hour or so at McAfee Knob, we continued hiking on to Tinker Cliffs. Before we arrived, we passed a few campsites and stopped briefly at the shelter to sign the register and leave a note for some of our friends back behind us. It was a steep up to the cliffs and getting pretty tiresome, but on our way up we were humored by a Smiley face made from a piece of a log that we spotted sitting on a large boulder. It read, "It's not over, til it's over!" We weren't sure if that meant we still had a long way until the cliffs or if it was meant for us to hang in there.We broke again at Tinker Cliffs, where we arrived around 9:15. We were able to look back at McAfee Knob where we had been 6 miles prior as well as being able to see the valley and towns below. You could see for miles from here. Tinker Cliffs is gorgeous as well, and is a series of rocks jutting out from the side of the mountain. The trail follows the edge for about .5 mile. We sat here and ate a snack of Little Debbie fruit pies and cheese crackers, took in the view, and called to wish Mama a happy birthday.It was an easy hike down to Lamberts Meadow shelter, and we met and talked with some local folks out for a dayhike. They were very nice and really seemed to take an interest in what we are doing. When we arrived, we took a long rest there to nap after our 4am rising this morning.We were able to visit with a number of fellow hikers: Chuckles & Gotta Go, The Garland 5, Windy, Draggin', B$, Jukebox and Rambler. Two deer were residences of the area and kept making appearances but never got super close.Bug went to the stream to collect water; after he got back he changed from his shoes into his Crocs and headed for the privy. As he was returning, he got into his zone coming down the path. Little did he know, there was a root peeking 2" out of the ground waiting to trip him up. He stubbed his toe awfully hard and looked pretty pitiful as he returned to the shelter. He told me that it hurt so bad, he let out a string of words that would do justice to Mr. Clean Jr.It quickly started to swell and turn all colors of the rainbow. Bug relayed that he heard a loud pop when it happened and that it was throbbing visciously. We fixed him up with a healthy dose of Aleve, and he followed it up with 4 naps on the shelter floor.We cooked our dinner around 4pm and we were back on the trail at 5:15. Bug struggled, not so much on the levels and uphills, but rather on downhills when his foot had a tendency to slide forward. Bug has what is known as a royal second toe, and that is the one which broke.When we decided we could hike no longer, we camped on the side of the trail at the top of the mountain, 3 miles from the shelter. Bug layed down and elevated his foot while I made camp inside the tent. Once we had a dinner of little debbies, we did our evening devotional and I found it really ironic that the verses for the day were Philippians 4:4-13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Even though we are faced with hardships out here, if we rely on Him rather than our own strength, we can accomplish anything. Tomorrow it's Troutville, so I am going to get some shut-eye so I'll be good and ready for the buffet.