Date: 2016-04-24
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Stealth Camp Near a Spring, Mile 456.1
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: clear sky

Day 44I awoke and immediately had two things working in my favor: an early start (6:50 a.m., to get away from Sir Snores-a-Lot) and a relatively flat topography ahead. This had the potential to be a big mileage day, although that's rarely my goal.At mile 444 I passed the Uncle Nick Grindstaff Monument. According to his tombstone, he was born December 26, 1851 and died July 22, 1953. He lived as a hermit on Iron Mountain the last 40 years of his life, and his tombstone reads, "He lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone." For more on his life and story, check out... http://appalachiantreks.blogspot.com/2012/07/uncle-nick-grindstaff.html?m=1As I descended Iron Mountain, I looked down at my sweaty right forearm and noticed my first AT tick walking along it. I brushed him off and spent the next mile running my fingers through my hair and checking various body crevices. I fear ticks and the diseases they carry more than I fear snakes and bears combined. (Although a combined Snake-Bear would be fairly intimidating.)At mile 447.3 I began a peaceful, scenic walk through a pasture. Out here on the AT, I love how God can just flip a switch and send us from mountains to pastures, from wind to stillness, and from shady laurel valleys to sunny ridges in mere moments. If you don't like the scenery, keep hiking and wait a few minutes. Halfway across the pasture I stopped and visited with Mountain Man, a rare southbound hiker. We exchanged trail notes and our beards posed for a selfie together. Later, I came across a metal cage full of...Trail Magic! I had a soda and a snack, courtesy of the Girls in Action, a 4th-6th Grade mission group from the Nelson Chapel Baptist Church, Mountain City, Tennessee. I hope my fellow hikers and I don't just see and appreciate the magic, and the Trail Angels, but also the faith in Christ and desire to live like Him that motivates much of it. In other words, I hope they receive not just the Mountain Dew, but ultimately the Gospel Message that can really change their lives, and mine.As I descended Locust Knob, I met a couple from Johnson City out on a day hike. They have hiked local AT sections and other area trails for the past decade and have set up numerous off-trail secret campsites behind rock formations and other barriers for their own use. He asked if I noticed the two mating butterflies floating around about 30 yards south. I told him I had, but wasn't sure if they were mating or just holding hands. He asked, "Did you notice they were two different species? That's just wrong." I suggested maybe a third species would result, but that didn't satisfy him. He also told me the green plant I had been seeing in abundance all day long was a May Apple.After a 20.2 mile day, I stealth camped near a spring at mile 456.1. A short time later, NesQuick (who is having serious foot issues) and Dawn (aka Slim Rim, from Vermont) joined me and tented nearby. As we ate supper (for me, that meant Mountain House Pasta Primavera with 2 Parmesan cheese packets), she asked about my family and I bragged on my sons for a few minutes. She replied, "That's really cool. I hope my dad talks that way about me when I'm not around." I hope he does too.Fob