Date: 2004-03-24
From: Hiawassee, Ga.

To: Plumorchard Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: few clouds

It is 9:30 AM on the morning of the 24th. Peak-a-Boo just knocked at my door already back from the doctor. I looked at her and knew. She has to get off the trail. I told my brother not to post this until Thursday because I wanted her to be able to tell the news first. Hopefully she has. It kind of puts a curtain over todays upcoming journey. Peak and I have been talking trail since last September. She was always excited about doing it even with all the other things she had to deal with, INS,school, and work. I had mentioned that her feet were bothering her in previous entries but I was glossing over the facts. I felt it was not my place to tell the world in my journal what she was going through. I was watching her back the whole 9 days and I watched her get worse and worse. In the afternoons I could tell she was in a lot of pain and there were times she would hobble into camp. There was nothing I could do and she tried everything we could come up with. By the time we got to Hiawasee her one foot looked metallic because of al the duct tape she had wrapped it with, anything to try to make it better. I am deeply saddened that she is gone. We had a lot of fun over the last 9 nine days. I hope some doctor can look at her and recommend something that will allow her to get back on the trail in late April or so.Peak, this is for you. I am honored to have hiked with you, to be your friend. I have a lot of respect for you for what you did accomplish where many others would have bailed much earlier. Thank you for being part of my life for those days. After I had talked to Peak I didn't feel like hanging around the motel so I packed up and headed out. After a bit I got a ride to the trailhead from Jason, a former thru hiker. He had already run two hikers up and one back into town. As he said,"paybacks for all the good things done for him during his hike". I started up the trail. Up being the operative word here. I don't know if I will ever get used to them! It felt strange hiking without Peak. I had become used to seeing her light blue coat in front of me. Now I was hiking in my own little world. Got to Plumorchard Shelter real early but I knew tomorrow was going to be a tough day so I decided to quit for the day. Set up camp and decided to break out the book I had been packing all this way. After awhile a couple of others drifted in,including Pennsylvania Mule, River Queen, Heads Up, AYCE, and Jane. Jane had just spent 4 days in Hiawassee with a damaged achilles tendon and she was hoping it was good enough to continue on. We did the usual talking and preparing dinner and then it was off to the tents. Looks like it is going to be a nice night. No wind. Tommorrow I cross out of Georgia into North Caolina. First big psychological milestone. I forgot to mention that when we were coming down the mountain the other day before we went into Hiawassee the ground around a small part of the trail was pretty torn up. A wild boar had torn through there grubbing for roots or whatever. I had heard they can do a lot of damage and from what I saw I have to agree.Good night for now.