Date: 2006-10-06
From: roan high knob shelter

To: apple house shelter
Miles today: 14.7

======2003======tuesday, march 25, day 32got out a little later this a.m. (6:30) ¢cause it was cold and windy and the sleeping quilt felt SOOO good and warm!but the forest was like magic as the sun came up, trying to find its way through the branches and trunks to us¢¦.i sang for a little while¢¦the morning just seemed to call for worship¢¦we were headed to the balds¢¦.a ¢4-heart¢ day according to the markings on the schedule the ristoms had prepared for us¢¦..and it wasn¢t long before we were there¢¦.following the trail across these beautiful, open mountaintops!....everybody on the trail was awestruck¢¦..kept sayin¢, ¢words just can¢t describe!...¢we had breakfast at the first (¢round knob¢ side trail?...about 3 miles from the shelter)¢¦.we read a very appropriate ¢praise¢ psalm there¢¦..you can see forever on these balds, all covered with grass¢¦.you touch heaven¢¦.i don¢t know if they remind me more of desert or beach, but i do know they¢re a sight to behold!....we came to yellow mtn. gap which had a beautiful red barn overlooking a ¢farming¢ valley nestled in the crook of the mountains (with the balds up above¢¦.incredible!)¢¦.and to top it all off?... there was FOOD at the barn!....trail magic!...we opted for the dried sour cherries (a favorite!) and some granola bars¢¦.i took a picture of this quaint old barn, which actually had been turned into a hiker shelter¢¦.the rest of the afternoon was spent hiking the balds¢¦.it was pretty windy up there with no trees, but SOOOO gorgeous!we¢ve come down into a little cove¢¦.much warmer here and are staying in an old apple orchard¢¦.the other hiker/campers are having a good time¢¦we hear singing!....in the shelter, mikenango sports a new mohawk ¢do¢ that miss janet gave him¢¦.c-blue and an older, gray-bearded fellow named lex luther said they were planning to rob a bank and did we want in on it¢¦..i said, yeah, i¢d drive the getaway car¢¦.there¢s beer in the creek, so the bank robbery may turn into a party!.....for us¢¦it¢s been a long day and i think i¢d like nothing more than just to sleep!.....well¢¦.today i¢ve been thinkin¢ about the simple ¢ joys¢ of the trail¢¦.the little things you take for granted at home, become such delightful pleasures out here¢¦..like: charlie¢s little whistle or hum as he walks down the trail (he whistles MORE out here!)¢¦.or finding a garbage can at a trailhead¢¦.or ¢trail magic¢ hangin¢ somewhere to surprise a hiker (today there was some attached to a tree for christy and eric*) and, amazingly, it brought US joy as well (thinking of their faces when they found it!)and, then, of course, the first few wildflowers¢¦or a warm pair of socks at night after a long , damp day of hiking¢¦¢¦.getting CLEAN!...oooooh!......a simple, potful of HOT supper¢¦.a warm spot of sunshine in the woods¢¦..a word from scripture¢¦.and so many other small things that grow large out here on the trail in their ability to give pleasure¢¦..i suppose it¢s because here, they are more ¢rare¢ (though readily available at home)¢¦.AND, out here they are ¢earned¢ with a great deal more difficulty¢¦.i¢m learning a greater appreciation for these wonderful mountains, too, that i call ¢home¢¢¦.they remind me (in this late winter/early springtime) of big, gray cats!....i see ¢haunches¢ and ¢spines¢, ¢ears¢ and ¢trailing tails¢¢¦. ¢kittens¢ nursing, ears all in a row¢¦.it¢s those billions of twigs all gray and soft that give the mountains their velvet-y, fur-like appearance¢¦..i¢ve always thought that the Lord COULD have told abraham He would make his descendants as numerous as the ¢twigs of a forest¢ (rather than the ¢sands of the sea¢)!....there are so MANY trees, branches, twigs!....and the texture they give to these hills and ridges is wonderful!...they seem to beg a caress, a gentle stroking from the hand of the Creator¢¦..even now, they seem to be ¢purring¢ with praise¢¦with basking in the Sonshine!....me, too!seems that vagabond must¢ve taken a wrong turn today and went up and over the bald where he was supposed to turn and take the trail down¢¦.it¢s easy to follow the wrong path if you¢re not paying attention¢¦..thus was born my little ¢proverb¢: trust not in the path of many faltering feet, but rather in the sure blaze of the ONE All-knowing Hand!....we¢ll be in kincora day after tomorrow¢¦.we¢re dreaming of the good meal we¢ll cook there for ourselves and whoever else will be there to share it with us!.....thank you, Lord, for your exquisite and abundant goodness and blessings to us this day¢¦.be with us, please, to help and strengthen our bodies for the big day tomorrow¢¦======2006====== wednesday, march 15, day 32 (6.1 miles from moreland gap to dennis cove!)to kincora!.....(took most of the day off!)*NOTES/OBSERVATIONS/COMPARISONS*christy and eric¢¦.very nice ¢peace corps¢ couple¢¦anybody seen or heard from them?......or any of the others, for that matter....mikenango....lex luther....vagabond...shaman(we met him at "the barn")