Date: 2008-05-03
From: Watauga Lake

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 9.0

Saturday 5/3. Title: emails. Miles today 9. From Watauga Lake to DennisCove.Dear Friends: I do have email on the trail when I can get a signal. Please don't hesitate to send me a note if you'd like. It is great to get encouraging messages and just friendly hello's. Please dont send "forwards" from the internet. You can also send me a note direct from the site where myjournals are posted. I'm not exactly sure what it looks like but on the left, is a bunch of links, one of which is "guest book", I think its called.You can send a note from there and if you include your email addrerss, I can respond. I think that's how it works.Today I slacked 9 miles from Wautaga Lake back to Dennis Cove, Kincora hostel. I'm glad I did as hiking this section south with a day pack was much easier than north with a full and heavy pack. This was actually the first day I really took my time, and stopped at at a place called Laurel Falls, apopular spot, for like a half hour for lunch and to just sit there at the base of the falls and enjoy the sounds of the water crashing over the huge rock formation. The falls were probably 60' across a wide range of layeredrock. There were others there too. Took a few pix and others there got some pix of me for the archives.I did see some hikers northbound who I havent seen for a couple days as weall kind of go our own ways ("hike your own hike" is the expression). I saw: Ravon, Bob Bodi, another Bob, Hiker Dave, Etivia and his nephew, and TheBreeze. I met Breeze the first week on the trail, he's from Oregon or WA state. He's hurting with shin splints and said he needed to take a few daysoff the trail soon for recovery or risk having to get off altogether. He'sa good guy, hope he can recover. My only discomfort is some numbness on the bottom of both feet. But I guess after hiking up and down mountains evey day, it's to be expected. No other bodily complaints. I have lost 20#. My legs are strong and muscular but the rest of me has turned to, well, non-muscular since not working out. I need to buy new hiking shorts once I get to Damascus where there are a couple outfitters. I will be buying size mediums this time. My current legwear are much too big even with sewing ina couple pleats into the waistline.I met a nice young couple 2-3 days ago on the trail out for a day hike, Ryan and Abbi. I saw them again today at Laurel Falls. Nice folks and good to say hello again. I meet a lot oF people actually. Can't remember all their names. Sometimes in passing each other, we stop and talk. Met a guy named Buzz, from Cincinnati, and we chatted for a while talking about my son's attending UC and Buzz's neighborhood near Mason. Buzz's wordsof wisdom (I may have mentioned before), "Every day on the AT is hard, some days are harder than others". The days become routine and at this point of hiking, we don't talk about the days' difficulties, we just hike throughthem.I've mentioned Damacus, VA a number of times. Its 40 miles up the trail from where I start tomorrow. Damascus annually celebrates a weekend called Trail Days, a huge event for the town and the hiker community especially theAppalachian Trail Conservancy. Hundreds attend as it is likened to a festival with vendors and booths and all sorts of programs. Anyway, its the talk of the town, so to speak. It is the weekend after next, Friday the 16th thru Sunday. I'm not planning on attending as my plan does not include time for the event. I've heard it can be a fun time. The trail should be light with hikers and I hope to make good time as I get a good start into VA