Date: 2009-05-12
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

What a great day. The sun is out, there is a breeze, and no bugs. Of course, Moonlight and I spent most of the morning hanging out at the Holiday Inn, doing laundry and trying to get just a little more sleep in real sheets. We finally checked out at 11:00, and walked the 1.2 miles from the motel to the Trail. Along the way, we stopped by the local outfitter and hostel, where I bought some additional stove fuel and a final coke. At the hostel we ran into a couple old friends. Charlie the Chef and Scree Freak were hanging out, getting some sun and taking a long rest. Catch-up and RLB were doing the same, drinking beer. I hadn't seen Charlie or Scree in three weeks, and it was good to catch up with the gossip, finding out who had gotten off the trail. Forrest, S&P, Willow were there as well, and Photoshop has gotten back on the trail after getting off for a week. Now you should understand, I do not know the real name of any of these individuals, but they are all good friends, and the reunion was pleasant.Moonlight and I left the outfitter about 12:45, and headed across the river and up the mountain. A slow 2,000 ft climb to start the afternoon. We made great time, and kept walking all afternoon, making over 12 miles by 7:30. Notable features of the day indluded the first blooming of Rhodadendran trees -- a beautiful purple rose color. Only a few blooms now, but in a week it will be fabulous. We also crossed a large bald with great views in the late afternoon. The difference is amazing between crossing a bald in the rain with no visibility versus crossing a bald when it is clear and warm. Personally, I prefer the later.We didn't get to a tent site until late, largely because a fire during last year's drought had damaged a couple earlier camp sites. We shared a tent site with Dude, Bee Man, and someone we'd not met before, Col. Mustard (a retired Army Col. and school teacher). After a nice campfire and a dry dinner, we got into our tents about 9:00 and quickly off to sleep. During the night, I got up once ant the stars were just amazing. If it were a bit warmer (it was about 40 degrees), I would have stayed up and watched, but it was too cold to be interested.I keep mentioning hiker's names without describing them. Let me describe a couple. Forrest is in his early 30s and is a computer systems analyst from Ashville, NC who travelled globally in his job. He's got a voice that should like he should be a radio announcer. Last year, he walked 1,000 miles and got bored. He's started again this year in hopes of doing the whole trail.Forrest hikes with Willow. Willow is a beautiful woman with long red hair who looks like she should be dancing next to Michael Flatley in Riverdance -- which is ironic because she used to be a professional Irish step-dancer. Willow has special status on the trail because she hike the entire trail in 1997, and is doing it again because she enjoyed it so much. She's incredibly encouraging to and patient with novice hikers, and reassures folks like me that we're not moving too slowly.S&P (can't say what this means) is a woman with rather delicate features who has become a power hiker. Unitl a couple months ago, she was living in Brooklyn and had working been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for almost 10 years. Here colleagues at the museum clearly didn't understand why she would want to take time off to hike, and would not give her a leave of absence; so she quit. She and her husband began the hike, but her husband broke hie arm about 2 weeks in, so she is continuing on her own. These are truly fun and interesting individuals whom I would never have met had I not gotten on the AT. Indeed, I've yet to meet anyone on the trail that I did not enjoy. We have little in common save the interest in hiking...which seems to be enough.