Date: 2008-04-22
From: Hot Springs, N.C.

To: Flint Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 34.3

We are camped in the woods a little past the shelter. I can't believe I actually have service. First condolunces to my cousins Arlene, Karen, and Marge on the loss of there step mom Lillie. Sorry I could not be there. We have hiked two 17 mile days since leaving Hot Springs. Yesterday at a road crossing there was a paper taped to a post saying that 300 yards up the road was a log house where thru hikers Fal and Hercules would give hikers free food. We took off down the road. They thru hiked in 1999 and afterwarda wanted to be close to the trail. They have since fed 1700 hikers. We were served waffles, pork stew, a brownie sunday and 3 glasses of Coke. They are a Christian couple and hikers are there mission. Today we hiked over some rough territory. White Rock Cliffs was a 1 mile rock scramble. The view from the top over Greenfield N.C. was really great. Toward afternoon we came to a huge area covered with wild flowers. They just make me smile when I see them. There were hundreds of acres of Phacelia with yellow buttercups mixed in. Once in a while I come across a solitary dandelion. Now back home you consider the dandelion a nuisance. I challenge you to go out in your yard, get down on your hands and knees and really observe a single dandelion. Some of you think your yard is a putting green and may not have any dandelions. If you know where I live go there, I have a good crop. The word dandelion means tooth of the lion. The leaves make a salad or you can fry them too. Look at the beautifull starburst pattern of the brilliant flower. See the sawtooth pattern of the leaves. Then after a while a stem will shoot up and the fluffy white seeds called clocks are ready to travel. A small gust of wind and it floats away. It bobs and weaves and loops around your yard, then it makes one last circle and softly lands in your neighbors yard, only to start over again next year. See if you don't agree it's a pretty special flower. The next item on my agenda tonight is Apples. I have discovered an apple that everyone should try. Don't you just hate it when you are so hungry for an apple and have anticipated its juicy goodness only to take a big bite and your teeth clang together like a hammer on a farriers anvil. The stupid thing was mealy. I just hate that. While hiking in the Grand Canyon I found an apple called Gala Washington. What an awesome apple. I bought two in Hot Springs to take with me. I ate one today. What consistancy. How firm the texture is. You bite into it and apple juice sprays all over the place. The juice even runs down your arm. Today for a period of time life was just right. I was crunching my Gala apple walking through Gods Wildflower garden. As you can see I have way too much time to just think. We passed the 300 mile mark today and plan to be in Irwin, Tenn. by Thursday evening. Mountain Sailor, 26.2 and yours truly the apostle are still hiking together. We are known as the early rising crew. The terrain is not quite as steep as in Georgia but we still have at least one or two climbs everyday with at least a thousand elevation gain. The climbs are getting easier however my legs still don't like them much. I weighed myself at Hot Springs and discovered I have lost over 15 pounds in 3 weeks. At that rate I should completely dissapear by about the middle of June. It is so good to hear from everyone signing the quest book. I will sent my camera card home this week sometime so there should be some pictured to see by the end of next week. Talk to you at my next signal.