Date: 2005-03-22
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

3.22.05Day 911:45am And so it begins... Guess where I am? (Those of you whohiked w/ me last year, don't even guess; you already know.) Youbetcha. I'm still at the Holiday Inn in Hiawassee. Zero numbatwo. Hence I say -- so it begins. It wasn't my fault. Honestly. Iwas literally packed and ready to go. My pack and poles were sittingin the lobby. I was only waiting for the prearranged ride to pick meup and take me to Dick's Creek Gap. Then, Cuppa Joe saunters over andsays, 'You're really headin' out, huh?' (He had told me overbreakfast that he was going to zero w/ Break, to give her knees somerest, and just to take a general 'body recuperation day'. That wasthe beginning of the first crack in my resolve.) But, I determinedlyand definitively responded, 'Yes'. Yes, I'm leaving. But then, hesteps aside, and I see Break, lounging relaxedly and redolently in oneof the lobby couches, feet up, book in hand. I swear, they tag-teamedand ambushed me. It was completely unfair. Another chink in my armorappears. I look out the window, at the gray, overcast, forbiddingskies, the wind whipping frenzedly across the parking lot, as CJ andBreak relate the most recent meteorological forecasts -- Severethunderstorms. Heavy rains. Cold. Wind. I'm crumbling beforetheir very eyes, but I still have a tenuous hold on my heading back tothe trail today. Then, the final nail in my coffin -- Weathermancomes up and says, 'I'm stayin' put one more day.' That's it. Gameover. Point, set, match. No chance I'm going anywhere today,w/ that barrage opposing me. I never stood a chance. (And, just toabsolutely ensure that I wasn't leaving, CJ swiped my pack from thelobby. Well, he attempted to -- I caught him in the act...)4:30pm The rain is pouring down, spattering relentlessly against thewindow panes, the wind driving the rain at a steep angle. Basically,it's downright nasty out there. And, as much as I wanted to hit thetrail this morning, I don't envy my friends one jot, being out inthis. Setting up camp in a downpour just ain't fun, any which way youlook at it. 'Course, I could be experiencing the some conditionstomorrow, rain or shine (tho' I'd certainly prefer the latter). Iwill. I've acquired a serious case of cabin fever, being cooped upindoors all day. I was even half-tempted to toss my rain gear on andgo for a walk. Half-tempted, I say. But, seeing the soppingwet hikers tromp into the lobby quickly dissuaded me of that endeavor.So, I hung out in the nice, dry lobby of the Holiday Inn, and sentout sympathetic thoughts to my trail-bound comrades. Cuppa Joe,Weatherman, and Break caught a ride w/ Lori (who has become ourpersonal chauffeur the past few days) to Neel's Gap, so Break couldpick up some new (and lighter) footwear, to try and keep her feet fromgetting further torn up. But, they've returned, so it's time tosocialize...9:20pm My journal is officially caught up now (tho' w/ every word Ipen, I get behind once again. A losing battle...). Our hotel room isjam-packed again tonight. It was just the 4 of us, untilVinny-Vidi-Vici and Toolman arrived, wet and bedraggled, looking forshelter from the storm. So, 6 of us tonight. And, we're competingfor floor space -- CJ, Weatherman, and I all prefer the floor to, asBreak calls is, the bourgeoise luxury of a mattress. So, VVV andToolman were give the bad news as they strode into the room -- they'dhave to sleep on the bed. Oh, you could see they thought it anextreme hardship. We'd actually met them before, on day 2, while wetook a break on the footbridge over Chesnut Creek. These two guysblazed past us, hardly stopping. As they went by, we all noticed thetwo loaves of bread, strapped on to the exterior of their packs,swinging w/ their strides. So today, as we were reunited by theserendipitous trail gods, we unanimously cried out -- 'Oh, you're theBread Guys!'. Ah, the absolute randomness of life on the trail. Wouldn't have it any other way.Cuppa Joe and I were discussing earlier today, how we're both havingmore fun this year. We decided that it was largely due to usbeing totally cool w/ accepting the flow of life on the trail, notresisting what comes your way, not trying to control events, justallowing them to happen. Don't worry about short days. Don't getcaught up in doing what 'the group' does. The mileage monster? Pshaw. You have to do your own thing, be your own individual, hikeyour own hike. I know that acronym (HYOH) get tossed around a lot ofhere, but it's unequivocally true, and can't be reiterated enough. Ifyou aren't out here hiking for yourself, then you're cheating yourselfof the greatest experience imaginable. Today, I was actually able todo some reading (more than my usual -- creak open the book, read 2 or3 pages before passing out from exhaustion; in 8 days of hiking, I'veperused 50 pages, total.), and To Kill a Mockingbird ranks asone of the best books ever written, on my list. This quote has alwaysresonated w/ me, and seems particularly appropriate to conclude thisentry. Atticus Finch, speaking to Scout:"...before I can live w/ other folks I've got to live w/ myself. Theone thing that doesn't abide my majority rule is a person'sconscience." -- Harper Lee.