Date: 2005-10-31
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Rich Mtn firetower
Miles today: 18.0

31 OCT (18 mi)Up with the sun (the best feeling in the world ¢ to be flowing along nature¢s cycles), and after a hot breakfast (another great feeling of warmth and self-appreciation) we¢re coasting up a sunny, rocky ridgeline with expansive views of neighboring and distant mountains. I think we can see back to the Roans and over to the Smokies as well, even though the compasses set in my Walmart poles are pointing in different direction. There was a bit of a ¢down¢ feeling this morning in the crew, so I blurted out that we¢ll be blessed with trail magic today, to cheer them up. I really had a vision of sodas and other things, but couldn¢t place where we¢d encounter them. After a warm morning walk through multicolored woods, we walk up on Neen¢s residence. He and his dogs greet us warmly, ¢would you guys like a soda or a snack?¢, accompanied by a tour of the premises. That is one nice, secluded residence!! At the first road crossing after Neen¢s place we walk up on a pole with a menu tacked onto it ¢ a menu for a 3-course meal!!! The note is concluded with, ¢if you think you may enjoy this selection, please walk x yards¢¦. to our house.¢ We are welcomed by Fal & Hercules (AT 1998) on a roomy porch, and then escorted into a beautiful, cabin-like house for a delicious dinner, fun trail stories, and a couple of hours of relaxation. I must comment on the banana split dessert ¢ it was the prettiest and largest dessert I had ever attempted to consume, and I (the gluttonous hiker, by now) had to pause and let it melt in order to not have it return back up the way it came in! Fal & Hercules even gave us goodies to take back on the trail with us! It was very difficult to leave this kind and entertaining company, but we put on our boots (barely able to bend over to tie them) and our packs, and moseyed on to the trail. There was a shelter in 3 miles, but I was determined to continue my record of sleeping in firetowers, and pushed on another 3 miles past the guys¢ final stop. This was a rather intimate and spiritual evening for me ¢ I zenned on past the shelter and to the tower in total darkness. ¢To zen¢ is to walk without a flashlight, even after the day has waned and darkness had set in. I used to be afraid of the dark, but I had ultimately relieved myself of this useless fear on this 3-mile trek. The Universe¢¦ The Universe was amazing! It guided me thru the woods, even when it didn¢t matter whether I kept my eyes open or closed ¢ so dark it was. It¢s amazing how well your feet can feel the packed-down trail when all other senses are at bay! How panic gets you nowhere. How a stronger, benevolent force can lead you where you need to be lead, you just need to relax, let it lead, trust it. There was a point where I lost the trail. I kept peering into the darkness, stomping my feet to feel the earth¢s reaction, thought of putting on my headlamp in a pre-panic, but the Universe said, ¢trust me,¢ so I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and retraced my steps. Sure enough, the trail curved to the right, and I had, previously, kept on going straight. It isn¢t rocket science or brain surgery, and everyone can do this ¢ just trust and follow. But it¢s a lot easier to do when you¢ve already cleared out the unnecessary clutter and clamor out of your life, and when there aren¢t any of those social distractions around. The Universe got me to that tower, though by a side route than anticipated; all I had to do (it¢s a choice, not a requirement, really) was trust and follow, in silence. The tower stood tall, dark, and looming, against the background of the night sky and the black-armed trees. I walked up the tower as quietly as possible, which wasn¢t hard to do, since the shutters on the windows of the tower slammed over and over in the wind, shaking the entire construction. I peered into the impenetrable darkness of the open doorway and quickly stepped back ¢ ¢whoever may be in there definitely has the advantage of seeing me,¢ I though, and finally put on my headlamp. Of course, no one was there, and no thing either, except the shards of glass from the shuttered and shattered windows, a disassembled fuse box, a tall table, and something resembling a seat, but this was Halloween night, I was alone, and had not idea what the locals were like. There was a hole in the ceiling, leading up to an attic with an open skylight (no glass there either), lots of insulation, boards, and mouse poop everywhere. Locking the door to the tower, I climbed up to the attic, boarded up the ceiling access, hung my food bag separate from my backpack, created a bed-like structure out of boards, and went to sleep. I can imagine myself 5 months ago ¢ I would have pissed my pants in such a place in daylight!!! Now, I laid quietly, (physically) shaken by the slamming of the shutters, the entire tower swaying in the wind, my face caressed by the fresh and cool night air entering through the broken skylight; cozy, calm, relaxed.