Date: 2013-04-29
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: US 19, Black Bear Resort
Miles today: 8.7

Last night was a terrible night for sleeping. The German was too cold in his sleeping bag, so he tossed and turned all night. I might have felt a little sorry for him. Another guy started snoring like a cow (it honestly sounded like he was mooing really, really loudly) from 2:00 a.m. to 2:36 a.m. (I timed him). As soon as he stopped, another guy to my right started snoring like a pig, in short loud snorts. The German packed up at 3:00 a.m. and left in the rain. I stayed in my bag until 6:00 a.m., and then I gave up. I started to pack myself, and realized that everything was wetter than when I hung it up. The slats between the boards had let in rain and mist. I dried it as best as I could with my towel. I noticed that there was mouse shit in my pack and all over my stuff. Ewwww... I grabbed the hand sanitizer and tried to clean that up as well. It took me over an hour to get the stuff sorted. Finally I carried it downstairs to finish up. Everything downstairs was soaking wet. I had to wring water out of the arm straps of my hiking poles.I made coffee and watched at the mist wafted up the valley. The scenery was beautiful. The sun was burning through the mist and just breaking through the cracks between the trees on the far ridge. Finally it crested over the top. Birds were singing to each other over the valley floor. It was going to be a good day.I stopped at the spring to fill water, and then I followed a single pair of fresh foot steps up and out of the valley. All others had been washed away during the night. There was a decent climb up through the trees, up to a high pasture. I could see the bright red barn with its rusted tin roof at the edge of the clearing. In that instant, all the frustrations and annoyances of the previous days felt so far in the past. They too had been washed away. All I felt were warm, pleasant sentiments towards the little barn and the collage of memories it held for me. I headed up Little Hump, another grassy bald in the Roan Highlands. There were several sets of fresh deer tracks. I scanned the field to see if I could see their maker, but it wasn't to be. There were several clumps of rocky outcrops. They felt special somehow, sacred even. I stopped and looked at them from afar. It didn't feel right to approach them. I wasn't in the right mindset to appreciate them, so I continued on. I had to climb over a couple of sets of fences up to Big Hump, a bigger, higher grassy bald. The vistas all the way up were worthy painting. The highest clouds moved to the southeast, while the lower clouds moved to the northwest. The scene was constantly changing. The air was so crisp and clean, it felt good in your lungs. If this is all I am to see of the Roan Highlands, so be it. I'll take it. I felt like I could just as easily be in the Scottish Highlands as the highlands of southern Appalachia. As quickly as the first miles went, the next 4-5 miles seemed to take awhile. There were several ancient moss covered rock slides to negoitate. There were thousands of roots. I kept my eyes locked to the ground, and I willed my ankles to cooperate. I thought was farther along than I was when I came upon Doll Flat. There was a sign that read: "Leaving NC". I thought, Well it's about time! I'm officially done with the North Carolina section of the AT. But there were still plenty of rocks to climb down and roots to step over on my way down to US 19.Dreamer and her wonderful husband, Chad were there waiting on me. I gave both of them a big hug. It was so good seeing her again! They loaded my pack into their car and took me straight to Bo's Dairyland. I ate a giant fried oyster dinner with homemade hushpuppies, a pile of french fries, coleslaw, a half gallon of tartare sauce, a 32 oz vessel of homemade lemonade and a chocolate cinnamon milkshake. Woohoo! Heaven!They brought me back to their darling cabin at the Black Bear Resort in Hampton, TN. I saw several other thru-hikers I know, and had to explain to them that, in fact, I am not really "here." I'm two days (or 26 miles) back on the trail. I'm just staying here tonight, and they will take me back to the trail tomorrow, and it will take me two days to hike back to here. Time travel is complicated.After hanging my stuff out to dry and having a shower, we got dressed again and loaded a bunch of people in their car and headed to Elizabethton, TN to the El Charolais. Mexican food. Hallelujah. I could hardly stand still as the waiters got our table ready. When they put the chips and salsa in front of us, we frenzied like a pool of hungry piranhas. I'm just glad no one lost an arm. I finally got my margarita. It required two hands. I could only drink half of it. At 7 p.m., I felt like someone had unplugged me. I wilted. I was ready for bed. I wasn't the only one.