Date: 2005-03-24
From: Bly Gap, NC

To: Standing Indian Mountain, NC
Miles today: 9.2

So I have safely returned from Iowa, where strangely enough, there are no cars. Go figure. And after watching fake lawyers argue fake trials for two days straight, I can now be a faux attorney with the best of them-- "Objection, your honor! If the document is not being offered for the truth of the matter asserted, then it is far more prejudicial than it is probitive, and it makes no fact in this case either more or less probable!" Yeah.After several days without posting, I woke up this morning in a cold sweat after having a guilt dream in which Jess looked at me forlornly and said, "I guess I'll just type the entries myself." So here it is folks...Day 11: In which Jess awakens to find the person she slept with gone, utters some curse words, spits out her food, takes a lot of breaks, misses an opportunity for some muskrat love, interrupts some coitus, crosses a fat girl, and tastes the spring: Misty morning, and I was dreading rain. Scholar took off early-- I swear all the girl has to do in the morning is cough, and the force of her breath blows her tent down and into its stuff sack. I'm not a slouch in the mornings, but I might as well be competing with a Grand Master when it comes to breaking camp. Can't touch that.While I ate my oatmeal I eyed the sky suspiciously. Thick fog. "That's crap weather," said Weatherman. "Pressure's falling. And you know all them squirrels right now are out there saying"-- here he pitched his voice high-- "Dang, Mama, I don't wanna scavenge!" I spluttered, and spewed a walnut on the ground by accident.Out of Bly Gap the trail went up-- and up, and up, and up. I may have uttered a few unprintables. Partway up, pushing through the fog, a breeze picked up, and suddenly, as if by magic, in the space of thirty seconds was gone. You could see the strands of cloud waft by and blow off the mountainside. Alohomora: and then there was sun. A short distance later I came upon Freedom, sprawled in the newly-arrived sun. "That's an excellent idea," I thought, and threw my pack down. Cuppa Joe and Weatherman followed suit.Continued down the trail, but took frequent stops for views and rest and sunshine-- so many breaks, in fact, that (come to find out later) Scholar took a three-hour lunch break herself and we still had not managed to catch up to her by the time she left. We did run into Jax, Brownie, Souleman, Touk, GyspyLuLu, and Bassline while stopped at Muskrat Creek Shelter for lunch.We spent the night on the summit of Standing Indian Mountain-- me, Scholar, Cuppa Joe, Weatherman, Freedom, Serenity, and Thatch-- and arrived in time to a) witness a beautiful sunet and a spectacular view, and b) interrupt the planned romantic interlude of a couple from Jackson, Mississippi, who bore the descent onto their idyll by seven reeking hikers with remarkable equanimity (though they did spend a good portion of the evening fantasizing about beer and pizza). Tonight's illicit bedtime tales involved the Secret Service crashing a kegger, oatmeal and blindfolds, and the real true Chicken of the Sea.Other highlights of the day:1. Crossing Chunky Gal Trail, of which I had to get a picture (naturally), and 2. The first flower of the season, set against the earth: one small bluet, resolute and simple. I am tasting spring.