Date: 2012-03-30
From: Yellow Creek Mountain Road

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It has been an incredible 5 days of hiking with Nick Yard. We stayed dry all five days until today and it rained on us the last hour on the trail; otherwise sunshiny days and blue skies. We hiked over 55 miles together from Winding Stairs Gap to Fontana Lake with the NOC sandwiched in the middle. It was great to get to know him and hear him talk so glowingly about his children and his spouse. Our UMC Camps are blessed to have such great leadership. Memorable moments this week include how challenging it was for me hiking the trail out of the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The trail gains 2,900 feet in elevation over 6.8 miles from the NOC to the first shelter. I chose to call it a day at that shelter ¢ it was about 4:30 in the afternoon. I was so exhausted I fell asleep and only woke up long enough to eat dinner and later desert that Nick prepared. (I will miss his great meals). I slept for 13 hours not including those meal breaks.On Thursday at lunch there was trail magic waiting for us at Stecoah Gap NC. Water and Pepsi while we sat there a van pulled up and gave Nick an ice cold Mellow Yellow and an ice cold Doctor Pepper to me. As usual I had a great lunch Nick prepared. It was there that we picked up Donna¢s shuttle service card. Later that day, I made the decision that we would be picked up after about 15 miles of hiking and be shuttled by Donna back to Franklin, NC to spend the night and pick up Nick¢s car.This meant Nancy and Judy did not have to pick it up and they could come directly to Fontana Dam to pick us up and we would shuttle back to our starting point. In fact, they did not even have to do that, because Steamer from PA also arrived at the same spot. He had just hiked the section and took us back to our starting point and returned the vehicle to our ending point. Fellow hikers are always there for you and vice versa.Thanks Nick for carrying our food all week ¢ it was like having a Sherpa on the AT. All week he kept saying I am here for you and how I can help you - not about me. He showed me a Christian servant attitude. We sweated an incredible amount, hiked up countless feet in elevation changes and saw unbelievable mountain top views after mountain top views all week.It continues to amaze me how many people I have met who have connections to back home. Nick and I¢s week started out by meeting a young lady named Brooke. She was a teacher¢s assistant at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She told us her parents met at INDICOSO church camp ¢ are you kidding ? We ended the week by meeting three students from Taylor University hiking the trail. They were hiking many more miles a day than I am hiking. They were all wrapping their feet with duct tape because of all the blisters they had. Blisters that they seemed to take in stride, unlike myself who onetime got off the AT in New Hampshire for blisters. But here is the jaw dropper one of the young men said ¢hi Nick¢ we heard you were hiking the AT this week.Thanks Nick for a special week - I will miss your meals but most of all sharing the trail with you. I am honored that you took time out of your busy schedule to hike with me and as result since your wife was away with your daughter the week before to be apart from your wife for the longest time since you have been married.It is my hope and desire that my fellow UM¢s share our compassion for the youth of our conference and giving them the opportunity to choose Christ when they attend our matchless church camps in Indiana.See you in June, Nick, at Annual Conference in Indianapolis.