Date: 2008-03-15
From: Dick's Creek Gap ( Rt. 76) 

To: Zero day at Hiawassee Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Another sublime sleep, in the hospitable care of the Hiawassee Inn. I awoke refreshed and relieved that the deep fatigue I had felt yesterday was eased considerably. We had pushed on Thursday out of Unicoi Gap, and again on Friday out of Sassafras Gap, 17 miles of more push than I would have chosen had conditions been a bit better. Thunderstorms and even tornadoes in Atlanta were predicted, so we were happy to be under a roof today and not in the woods making miles.   Zero day is kind of a misnomer for non-hiking days, because we need to do lots of prep work in town to continue the long hike. 1. Rest and repair muscle fibers from 8 or 9 hours of Stairmaster-like exertion.2. Inventory and list needed food and supplies for exact number of days on Trail upcoming.3. Shower, shampoo, tend to feet, and do yoga stretches to counter the pull of the pack.4. Check maps and guides to realistically frame the upcoming leg of the journey. I don't want to carry more food than I need, so the estimate really helps keep pack weight down.5. Call home, write Pocketmail entries and check email and Trailjournals at library.6. Get to food store for resupply.7. Pack bounce box to send ahead, and get to Post Office to mail it during operating hours. Today we did that before 12, which worked well.8. Relax, socialize, and catch up with old faces and new who are heading north.9. Label photos on SD card before forgetting names or places, and mail to partner who can put a few on Trailjournals for me.10. Do laundry, unless you are here where Lisa picks up and drops off our wash within hours of our arrival.   So, zero sounds like a day "off", but its more a day of paying attention to the auxilliary tasks of long distance hiking.   I discovered Zaxby's today. Around noon, Puppy, Bananas, V8 and I left on foot to get lunch, and since lightening and thunder were punctuating the rather heavy rain, we walked quickly over to Zaxby's, two shopping centers away from the Inn. We called it a "rain gear test". As we got into the foyer there, torrents of rain came down, making our time in the pleasant booths quite comfortable. I ordered a Bleu cheese and buffalo chicken salad, whose crunchy goodness went down easily. I had a tall glass of the ubiquitous sweet tea, and a few bites of Key Lime pie. Bananas and Puppy took pictures of our happy repast. Such moments punctuate the hike and create connections for us all.Back at the room I felt drawn to the bed again, so took a 3 hour nap til close to 5pm. I dreamed about our little dog, Jody, and woke up missing her fuzzy coat and animated wiggle.   Ron invited the Sat. night hiker group to their place for dinner. We were surprised to be asked in for home cooking, and were absolutely delighted at the Chicken Cacciatore over angel hair pasta. V8 spear headed a clean up campaign, which took care of the plates, silver and leftovers with dispatch. Michael had gotten us a creamy layer cake with which we ended the meal. We took some pictures to remember the stay by, and walked back to our room under clearing skies. Robins have been greeting us in the mornings here, and one or two added their notes to our short walk home.   Tomorrow we head out by shuttle to Dicks Creek Gap and start the leg to Franklin, North Calolina . State line #1, here we come!Marcia JamrogAuntie Mame