Date: 2007-04-10
From: Birch Spring Campsite

To: Devil's Tatar Patch
Miles today: 5.5

It got colder last night than we expected - mid-20's. Packing up this morning I messed up the bite valve on my Camelbak and lost all the water I had treated last night so had to treat some more. I then tore up a collar on the dry bag for my sleeping bag resulting in me having to figure out a different way to pack my pack. There is a clarity of responsibility out here. When something goes wrong it almost always is a result of something you did or failed to do. You can curse fate, equipment, etc., but it is usually your fault. Hiked strong all morning with the goal of hitting Mollies Ridge Shelter for lunch. Really enjoyed the hiking. Trails in the Smokies are in good shape with good grades and switchbacks. Views are fantastic in that we're hiking along ridge lines after that big climb out of Fontana.   About 0.5 mile from the shelter my right calf cramped again and it felt like someone pulled the plug on my energy. Got into the shelter, had lunch, got water and stretched for a good period of time. Cuyahoga and I started out hoping to make Spence Field Shelter for the night. I was hobbling along with my leg. I finally sat down and realized I wasn't going far like this and I was hobbling deeper into a place with no easy outs. I decided to return to Mollies Ridge Shelter for the night. Cuyohoga was ahead of me and I could not yell that far. I was worried about her worrying about me. I encounter a northbound hiker and asked her to tell Cuyohoga what had happened to me. The hiker was Autumn Joy! who is from Martinsville, VA. Her mother had sent her articles about my retirement and hiking. She had shopped at the REI in Greensboro and talked with Jim Thompson. Funny, small world!I'm going to dose up on Advil, stretch, and rest my leg. I can go back to Fontana, hike some further and if I need to bail out I can hike down into Cades Cove. I'll make decision in the morning.Well since I'm not hiking I'll spend some time updating you on the cast of characters I've been hiking with. My most recent hiking partner was Cuyohoga. Real name is Stephanie she is from Cleveland, OH but has been living the last few years in Indianapolis where she worked for the parks department. Steph is 30 years old and wants to go back to school to get her PhD in History and then teach. She, like me, is not a fast hiker but she has won my admiration for her grit and determination. She has had a terrible case of poison ivy and has trooped on when most would have called it quits. She has a great sense of humor which we have all benefited from.Sandalwood is from Ontario, Canada. He is a retired inner city elementary school teacher where he has taught almost everything. His friendly nature has won him over to all he meets. His wife Kathy is a nurse and will be joining him for his last two weeks. They met in Myrtle Beach, SC while Samdalwood was on a cross country motorcycle tour. His real name is Max Mitchell.Ticker is a 68 year old gentleman from Moultie, GA. This is 90 miles north of Tallahassee, FL. Ticker is a former restauranteaur serving ribs and BBQ. He is really a fun guy. To some extent he is like a Georgia mule - point he down a row and he keeps going. His knee and foot was bothering him so he was going to take it easy coming out of Franklin but he got in behind Sandalwood and put in big miles.Rock Star (aka, Tina) is from northwest PA. She is 50 and made a mid-life career move into nursing. Her husband is a former thru-hiker and they had originally planned on hiking together. He decided he wasn't mentally into another thru-hike so Tina is out on her own. She has a journal on Trailjournals.com so I'll let you learn more there. Tina is a strong hiker and has become a good friend to us all.In a shelter register JuJo had written, "Which is more beautiful, the people or the trail?" Probably most of us would respond the are equally beautiful.Coach, who carries a backpacking guitar, was in the shelter tonight. He and April sang for us. Coach has a good voice but April is remarkable. What fun!