Date: 2005-05-29
From: Ms Janet's - Erwin, Tennesee

To: Deep Gap 
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The Road to Damascus - Day 1!I finally decided last night to forget about the slack-packing idea, and just head out of town with a full pack. The next point to get supplies is (hopefully) only five days away, but the next major town is another three days north of that - the famous trail town of Damascus, Va. It is one of only a few towns where the trail actually runs through the town. Avid readers of this journal will also be aware that it is the location of the annual Trail Days celebration that I attended May 13-15, just prior to getting back on the trail. Damascus is 120 miles from Erwin, so my hope is to be there in 8 days - an average of 15 miles a day. Since this first day out of Erwin is only 12, I'll have t try to make that up over the coming week.In planning each day's hike, I have to take a number of factors into consideration, including how early a start I can get. I had understood that shuttles didn't start until at least 10:30, so I used the time before breakfast to get totally caught up on my journal. Breakfast was at 8:30, and consisted of coffee, orange juice, a strawberries and banana compote, and make-¢em-yourself breakfast burritos. Everything was yummy! At the end of breakfast, in line with her effort to help hikers get to know each other better, Ms. Janet has each guest in turn give their trail name and their real name, and then answer the "question of the day". Today's question was, "if you were a work of art, what would you be, and what improvement would you make in it?". My answer was the work of art that the good Lord had created for us hikers - the mountains surrounding us, including the trillium and the mountain Laurel, and the mother grouse I chased up the day before. The only improvement I'd make: there'd be a lot fewer rocks!Immediately after breakfast, Ms Janet asked who was going to slack pack, and who was just going back down to the river to hike out of town? I said I was in the latter group, and then she said the shuttle for the river was leaving in five minutes! Oops. I wasn't packed up, and hadn't made arrangements with anyone to handle mailing a couple of packages for me. Long story short - I was going to have to try to hitch back to the trailhead, a distance of more than four miles.I finished packing, left my packages with Peaches, along with some cash, hefted my pack, and set off in search of a ride. Unfortunately, by then it was nearly 10:30, and everyone was either sleeping in or sitting in church. I ended up walking almost the entire way, getting a lift for less than a mile, and did not reach the trailhead until after 11:30. After checking my guidebook, I decided to shoot for a place called Deep Gap, which allegedly had both a water source and camp sites. I figured with such a late a start, 12 miles was the best I could hope for. The climb out of the gap was the usually long uphill - over 1,500 feet - but I am used to that now and the tread way wasn't too bad.About 8 miles in, I met up with the crowd that was slack packing south. They advised me that they had not seen water at Deep Gap, and suggested I refill at Low Gap just to be safe. Before Low Gap, I crossed another "bald", this one called Beauty Spot, with good views in at least three directions. I didn't spend much time admiring the vistas, however, as it was getting late, and I figured there was a very good chance I'd get to do something I hadn't done before: camp out, all by myself in the woods. All by myself. With no one else around. Just little ol' me. Hmmmmmmmm. I restocked with water at Low Gap and then managed to find what I assumed, according to my guide book, was Deep Gap. It's a funny thing, but they don't seem to label stuff out here the way they do in the city. You know, after awhile, you sort of miss all those convenient little street signs you see everywhere in the city. Where I actually camped - by myself, did I mention that? - was in a meadow next to the trail. There was an oak tree nearby where I hung my food bag, and one of the first things I did was to gather enough wood for a camp fire. It's one of those comforting things when, you know, you're all alone. In the woods...alone.... Anyway, with my tent set up, dinner over with, a campfire going, it was actually kind of cozy. I felt proud of myself for not being scared, as by now I am more comfortable with what the real risks are, and am not terribly worried about things that might go bump in the night. I know the sounds of the hoot owls and the screech owls, and coyotes, and I know they are not likely to bother me. And there was less reason to be concerned about a visit from a bear than when one is staying in a shelter, where lots of people have stayed, cooked food, etc., so bears know where to find them. I finally put out my fire at 9:30, and crawled into my tent to record the days events. Altogether, I'd say it's been a pretty satisfying day -all things considered. Today's hike is dedicated to my four kids - Rich, Laura, Mathew, and Adam, who have been in my thoughts daily, and who I miss very much. Love to all! Stay tuned, Longhaul Sent via PocketMail Email Anywhere www.pocketmail.com