Date: 2006-04-25
From: Spring Mountain Shelter (TN side)

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter, NC
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Day: 39Date: 4/25/06Start: Spring Mountain Shelter, TNWeather: Day--hot, Night--stormsFinish: Jerry Cabin Shelter, NCMiles: 15.4Cumulative A.T. Miles: 297.1Clay: Today started out with us waking up at 6:15 AM, eating a few Pop Tarts (there was not much food selection in Hot Springs), and heading out for a big day of hiking.When we are doing a big-mile day, I get amped up. It is sort of like a football team does during half-time. I am not only ready to carpe diem (i.e. seize the day), I am ready to *attack* the day. Conversely, I have found that women are not typically made this way. I am learning about actually stopping and smelling the flowers while hiking from Branch. We even looked at Lady Slippers, Poison Ivy, pretty purple and yellow flowers, and Mint today.By the time we got to Allen Gap (4 miles in), there was a sign stating that there was free food 300 yards away at a person's home. The skeptic in me said, "What are we getting in to?". However, Willow, Branch, and Blazer wanted to go. So, we did. Just past the "Welcome to North Carolina" sign was the beautiful log cabin home of Hercules and Falls (AT '99). They may have been the most hospitable, most gracious, most purpose-oriented, and Godly hosts I have ever met. The have fed nearly 400 hikers a huge meal this year. What did we have? We had breakfast, lunch, and dessert! When we first got to their home, we were greeted by their smiling faces and they set us down at a very nice, large, pastoral, dining table with woodsy table cloth. Soon they brought us large, fresh Belgian Pecan Waffles with various jams and maple syrup, and plenty of good coffee. As soon as we finished devouring the savory breakfast, they anounced that it was time for lunch! I looked at my watch and it was only 9:30 AM! They offered either bar-b-que or a Mexican dish. We went with the Mexican dish. The plate Falls brought out was full of different Mexican treats. The burrito had fresh chicken in it. I looked over at another fellow's plate and his bar-b-que had fresh chicken in it too. Wow! Everything was homemade and was seasoned with love. Just as I thought, "I am about 99% full now", Fall brought out a beautiful, homemade three-layered ice cream cake with a cherry on top. It looked like something you'd see in a magazine. She told us that a chef relayed that a piece of cake like that would run about $12. Branch and I decided to split one. We must have eaten 2000 calories during this meal. We were past full but very content.Why do they treat nasty, selfish, hikers this way? They explained that they had two hiker friends who had died since their thru-hike in 1999--one committed suicide and one died from breast cancer. So, they wanted hikers to investigate the claims of Christ. They even provided free books by Ravi Zacherias, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, and others. They have given out over 50 books to hikers this season alone! We were able to give out our booklets to hikers at the table today too! Hercules and Falls were not pushy, you could tell they cared, and they treated us like true guests instead of dirty hikers. We spent over two hours there. They served over 20 hikers just today and I am certain that it cost hundreds of dollars. By far, they were some of the best servants we have ever met.As the day progressed we hiked 6 uphill miles to Camp Creek Bald. Branch was so full she felt sick as she sweated out the miles. If this was not enough, we encountered the toughest but most fun mile thus far on the southern A.T. Blackstaff Cliffs was a very technical, hands-on, mile-long ridgeline. It took about an hour to complete. The miles came slow today because of our bloated stomachs and the uphill and technical terrain. As soon as we finished eating in camp, the rain poured on us relentlessly. No socializing tonight, unfortunately. Everyone has scurried to their tents. Branch is fast asleep and it is time for me to sleep as well.