Date: 2005-03-23
From: Hiawassee

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

3.23.05Day 101:30pm Two days away from the trail, and I was going stir-crazy. Oh,it's indescribably glorious to be back hiking again. And theweather is perfect, once again. I don't regret taking yesterday offand avoiding the rain storms, but even if there was a freakingblizzard today, I would have been back out. (Assuming I could hitch aride from town.) We had a little trouble, finding a ride thismorning. Stood on the roadside, the 4 of us (me, Break, Cuppa Joe,and Weatherman) for maybe 10 minutes, thumbs extended. Realizing ourchances would increase if we split our forces, the guys headed downthe highway. And, sure enough, not 2 minutes later, an SUV pulls overand picks us up. We convinced him to pick up our two scruffy friendsas well, so it was a rather cozy ride up to Dick's Creek Gap. I'mjust so inexpressibly happy to be back on the trail again, goingthrough AT w/drawal or something. It's just, when I'm hiking,everything seems to be aligned; it just feels right. I can'tput it any more clearly than that.7:40pm The fading light and biting wind has chased us all into oursleeping bags early tonight, at Bly Gap. Along w/ our foursome areSerenity, Freedom, and Thatch, all new faces. We're practicallyperched on the GA/NC state line, a rather hefty milestone on thisjourney. As we neared ever closer to the border, I could just feelit, a tingling in the spine, those tiny little hairs on the nape ofyour neck standing alert and upright. It was coming, I could justsense it. (Or maybe it was simply memories resurfacing from lastyear. There's one very, very distinct tree, w/ whitish bark and theseoddly-shaped branches, kinda like crooked arms. But, I remember itvividly from last year, and I knew that it was only a mile from thesign. So, when I stumbled across it today, towering above therhododendron grove, I knew.) However, for whateverreason I sensed it, crossing into North Carolina, standing at thatunassuming sign once again, it was a thrill, euphoric. Rationally,that geographic point is really completely arbitrary, some invisibledemarcation b/t states. But, the mind isn't always rational, andemotions are rarely so. Crossing into that second state, on thelinear chain of the AT -- unbelievable. Now I know, first thing inthe morning, NC is gonna start kickin' my be-hind, w/ the monumental'up' we'll face. But for now, I'm just savoring the moment, making myfarewell salute to Georgia.Leaving Hiawassee this morning, grabbing my pack from the hotel room,that bugger was a lead weight. It felt like I'd acquired severalmultiple-pound rocks, as I'd wallowed in zero-ing bliss. But no, itwas just the brimming food-bag, the typical 'leaving town w/ a muchheavier pack than when I arrived' phenomenon. But, as soon as I swungit onto my shoulders, strapped myself in, and got it settled into itsposition (where it has molded itself to the contours of my spine, afeature that has evolved through copious amounts of sweat), it becamejust another part of me, a hunchbacked extension of my skeleton. Mybody automatically readjusts its center of gravity, as soon as thepack is on. And I honestly don't notice it half the time. It's sodang comfortable. Sure, if it was lighter, I wouldn't complain, but Idon't mind carrying the extra weight, if it allows me to enjoy myluxuries. I still haven't dared to weigh it while fully loaded w/food, water, and fuel. And frankly, I see absolutely no need to doso. It is what it is, and as long as my body doesn't complain, thenwho bloody cares?Sorry. Didn't mean to deteriorate into that rant. It's just that somany people seem to get obsessed about pack weight and gear. And itseems so... I don't know... irrelevant, to me. You'll figure out whatworks best for you, what you consider important, whatyou are willing to forego, or carry. And the same thing w/ themiles. Go as far as you feel comfortable. So many people arehobbling into town w/ butchered feet and abused knees. Youhave to listen to your body. You over-extend yourself now,early in the hike, your hike won't last long. And also, you gottagive your noggin a rest too. I fell victim last year to the mentalwall, and that's my greatest fear this year, that I'll get mired onceagain. So far, I'm as far from the psychological bog as is possible,and my fears are diminishing daily, but there's that niggling worry,that unscratchable itch, like Cuppa Joe's phantom foot pain, in theankle he busted last year. But right now, I'm being swept along onthis amazing journey, along the AT, and I'm just holdin' on for theride.The wind is thundering through Bly Gap tonight. Fortunately, it seemsto be concentrated higher up in the tree tops; we're in kind of alittle bowl, carved into the ridge, where several little peaksintersect in a scooped-out valley. So, although the wind howls aboveus, we're relatively sheltered. Today's weather was a treat -- deepblue skies, the occasional big poofy white clouds breezing through.Mid-afternoon, the more forbidding storm clouds passed overhead, butcontinued on to other destinations. It's cloudy tonight, and theforecast spoke of possible showers, but after a gorgeous day liketoday, I can't complain. Not a long day in terms of miles, butleaving town is always tough. A heavy pack, coupled w/ the inevitableclimb (b/c every road crossing is preceded by a steep descent, andfollowed by a steep ascent) and the physical readjustment after a zeroday (or two), makes for a tired body by the end of the day. So,though it's early, I'm ready for bed.