Date: 2009-05-22
From: Jennings Creek, 614

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Thom treated us to breakfast at the lodge on the morning. Unfortunately, it was the most tasteless breakfast I have ever had! They boiled the vegetables for the omelet, rendering the whole thing sterile! I wanted a yogurt parfait, but she said the granola was being recalled, so I had a blueberry muffin instead. The biscuits were dry and the coffee was bad. Oh, well... time to head back out on the trail! We packed everything up, drove back to the trailhead, and set off about 10:30am. The hike began with a 1000 foot climb up Fork Mountain. This was not the easiest stretch by any means, and not the most scenic, but for Thom and Erik, it was a different change in pace and environment from their work lives, and they seemed to be enjoying it. I learned what a tulip poplar was, as well as sassafras, which was great. We stopped in at Bryant Ridge Shelter for a little break -one of the nicest and most impressive shelters on the AT that I have seen so far.      Next was a 2200 foot climb up Floyd Mountain to Cornelius Creek Shelter. Erik did a great job keeping up to me! We set our packs down and went to collect water in the stream. There, I spotted something sparkling... Could it be... a bit of trail magic? I have not had any trail magic since GA (aside from Joekickass' magic in Erwin)!! I have come across coolers that were filled with nothing but water, as well as garbage bags full of trash, but have missed out on all food handouts! There were 4 cans of Dr. Pepper in the stream. I actually hate Dr. Pepper and I think soda is no good for hikers (I would really prefer some juice or bottled water!), but because it was cold and something different, I grabbed one can to share. Every so often, the can would look enticing and I would take a sip, but the taste was always horrible! My stomach didn't feel so well after that either. Another hiker that was just out for the day came in and sat down for his break, and we packed up and headed out. About 10 minutes into the hike, I realized that I didn't have my sunglasses! They were on the picnic table, back at the shelter, next to the dayhiker! I dropped my pack on the side of the trail and headed back for them. Being the good friend that Erik is, he accompanied me and tried to calm my frustration over the loss of time and extra effort. This was the first time I had to go back for something on the trail. As we continued north, we came to a sign for an overlook, along with Thom's pack. He was sitting on the rock enjoying himself. Erik and I climbed up and over the tall, slender, and sharp rocks, and took in the view as well. Then, we continued on, with another climb ahead of us to Apple Orchard Mountain, which had a spacelike white dome tower on top. We took some pictures, as Thom came along, and then headed on toward the Guillotine- the highlight of the day, and for this stretch! Unfortunately, it was getting late, we were moving a bit slow, and I felt tired. By the time I got there, I didn't feel excited at all. I just wanted to eat and rest. After a nut bar, I gathered myself for a couple of pictures, although the last thing I felt like doing was acting. I told Thom and Erik that we better get going because it was already 7:30 and we still had a mile to go.   We arrived at the shelter to find Starbucks and his brother, who told us that we had just missed the best trail magic! No!! Some guy had come along with a frying pan and cooked them some eggs and as many pancakes as they wanted!! I love pancakes! (okay, I can't complain because I did have a real breakfast that morning). We set up our shelters on the hill behind the shelter and returned to the picnic table to eat in the dark. A troop of boyscouts had arrived after us, and the leaders said they were impressed with my courage when they found out what I was doing!Oh, Starbucks asked me my trailname and I said I had 2: either Morning Glory or Shimmy. He asked, "Why Shimmy?" and I said, "Because I like to shimmy," and I demonstrated it for him! (It's true- I was doing it a lot before I left for the trail!)