Date: 2004-05-23
From: Deep Gap, Tennessee

To: Why am I so Tired?
Miles today: 11.2

This morning before breaking camp, I strung up a line to dry out some damp clothes and my sleeping bag. I tried to ascertain the reason for the infusion of water into the hammock during the thunder storm. It might have been related to the positioning of the tarp, but I am not sure. Next time, I will do things somewhat differently.I told Stumpknocker about the terrible experience during the thunder storm. He told me that he had slept well in his tent, and had enjoyed the intensity of the storm. He estimated that during the peak of it, the lightening strikes had been occurring almost every three seconds. A ¢survival shop¢ is the word he used to describe this location we had camped at, based on the storm and the swarming black flies.I hiked sluggishly today, more so than yesterday. The uphill stretches were especially difficult for me. I don¢t know for sure why I am feeling so tired. It might be a lack of decent sleep. It might be that I am wearing out after hiking seven days straight since leaving Hot Springs. It is probably a combination of both.Late into my hike, I realized that I had left back at Deep Gap, or the ¢Survival Shop¢ one of the two chemical solutions I need to treat the water I obtain in the woods. I mulled over how I could deal with the situation. There was enough water in my bottle for a few more miles, but not enough for hiking tomorrow. There was a possibility of thumbing a ride at a road crossing in order to get back to Erwin where an outfitter might sell the stuff. There was also a remote hostel off of the trail called Greasy Creek Friendly where I could make some phone calls to see where the chemicals could be purchased. The other option would be to drink straight from the water sources, which I had no intention of doing. Enter Zip Off and Kato. To my delight, they showed up on the trail. They were engaging in one of their southbound slack packs. I asked them if they could take a peek into the spot where I had camped to see if the bottle of chemical treatment was still there. They agreed. On the following day, they could return it to me on their next southbound slack pack. I told them I would head over to the remote hostel and give them a telephone call when they arrived back at a hostel in Erwin called Miss Janet¢s. Late in the afternoon, a thunderstorm rolled over me. I hunkered under some hemlocks as the rains came pouring down. The Appalachian Trail, four feet in front of me, turned into a temporary creek bed as a torrent of muddy water flowed along it. Some tree roots that crossed the trail created small waterfalls. When the intensity of the rain eased, I resumed hiking. At Greasy Gap, I followed a spur path off of the Appalachian Trail. This path was supposed to lead to the rural hostel. The ground along this path was like a muddy stream bed and my shoes, socks, and feet got soaked. I took a couple of turns on this path, wondering if I had become lost. There were no signs whatsoever. Eventually, I came upon a couple of rural properties which lay in close proximity to each other. This was definitely the boondocks. Other than these properties, it was all woods at this location and apparently the dead end of a road. I decided to knock on a door and find out where I was, and possibly get directions to the hostel. There was a large wooden fence on the property to the left of the path. This fence overlooked the property on the right. A message with large letters was written on the fence. It read:TRASHY LOW LIFESON OF A BITCHI wasn¢t sure what to make of this nasty sign. It was either a harassing message to passersby, or some kind of feud between neighbors. I assumed it was a neighbor relations problem. After all, how many people walked this path out here in the middle of what seemed like nowhere? As I approached the house on the right, a pit bull came running toward me. I couldn¢t believe it, yet another pit bull attack? But the dog backed off. A woman came out and greeted me. As it turned out, this was the rural hostel I had been seeking. What a relief!Stumpknocker was staying here along with two sectional hikers. There are only a few beds here, and some of them are inside the actual homes of the owners Connie and Phil. They are a delightful couple who serve meals and accommodate hikers at inexpensive rates. They informed me that the neighbor across the path does not like them and engages in occasional harassments, like running a chain saw without a muffler or aiming a sodium halogen light toward their home, just to name a few of his tactics. I saw the light which was aimed at them; it is located beside the angry message on the fence. They also mentioned something about guns being shot indirectly toward their home, but not actually in the direction of their home. Good news! Zip Off and Kato found my chemicals and will meet up with me tomorrow on the trail. I was able to contact them with assistance from a woman named Miss Janet, the owner of the hostel in Erwin where they are staying.Here in the hostel, I am sitting before an old model computer and writing this journal. When I get off the computer, I will be sleeping in a real bed. I desperately need a good rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day with Roan Mountain lying ahead; it has an elevation of over 6,000 feet.