Date: 2005-03-03
To: Prep - Day 8
Miles today: 0.0

Well, today is Thursday, March 3rd - looks like the last preparatory entry I'll be able to make prior to heading down to Springer Mountain tomorrow and the re-start on Sunday.Yesterday I packed up my gear and shuttled into Asheville, NC to visit some friends and see the downtown area. Will be staying a second night, tonight in town and then on the road to Springer Mountain tomorrow.Asheville is a pretty neat place - the downtown area is a "community" of it's own - very eclectic. I was walking around Patton street at 10pm with some friends and was getting really hungry. No problem - we found a neat restaurant that stays open until 3am in the morning! They had a killer humus wrap and cajun lentil soup. I'm not really much of a vegetarian - but that stuff was good.Today I'm just relaxing around the town, doing the library/internet thing (they do charge $2 for a 1-hour, visitor access to the internet). Just next door is a neat bookstore called Malaprop's - I'll bum around there for a bit and have some expresso to drink. Then, maybe a movie at a nearby theater. I don't think I've seen a movie in about six months, or so. Just something different from what you get while hiking on the Trail.My next Trail Journal entry will probably be in about a week, or so - probably from the library in Hiawassee. Weather forecast on weather.com looks pretty good for the next 10-days (but just watch - there will probably be some gigantic snow storm pop up out of nowhere!!). Gear wise - I really haven't "lightened my load" that much. My pack with food & water weighed in at 29 lbs yesterday. But that included the food I'll be eating between now and the re-start. Actual starting weight will probably be closer to 25 pounds. I have not sent back any winter clothing - just too early yet to do so. However, my crampons have been relegated to a bounce box - if I need them, I'll get them down the road. Thus, the only real changes in gear are the switch from the Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack to the ULA Fusion pack; and, the addition of the MSR Zoid 1 tent. I also convinced myself to keep carrying the 10-ounce Equinox sil-nylon tarp. It may come in handy on rain days when I can quickly put up the tarp, stow my pack out of the rain under the tarp, and pitch my tent in relatively dry conditions. If that works well, great. If not, the tarp goes into the bounce box.My only gear concern - my Lowa boots. Some of the stitching on the sides keeps trying to "blow out." The soles and rest of the boot are fine. I've tried shoe goo, with mixed results. I'm hoping the boots will last a bit longer until the weather allows me to switch to my trail runners. I saw a new pair of the boots (Lowa Renegade ATXs) at the outfitter in Johnson City. Their cost was $165 - which I just don't want to spend if I can help it.I guess that's about all for now. Thanks to all of you for the supportive emails and comments. Hope to meet many of you out on the trail. For those of you who are following along by reading what I write: please let me know if you have any suggestions on what material you would like me to cover.As I re-trace the part of the trail between Springer and Erwin, I'll try not to repeat my past comments; instead to contrast what I saw before and see now. Happy "hiking" everyone!