Date: 2010-04-05
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Slept very well last night! I think it was that gentle breeze coming through the floorboards of the shelter! That and my shelter mates, Fog and Old Man and his daughter. Got up to pee and never have I seen such vivid, bright stars! I could hear the mice moving in the rafters before sunset. Fog had to move his backpack to prevent chewing problems. LB had warned me of "Ninja Mice". Capable of feats of great evilness. Awesome job hanging my bear bag last night. High five! Got it on the 3rd attempt. I'm better under pressure and people watching. Taught Fog the trick of using a sock with a rock in it. Woke up relatively late. Packed up and left before anyone else though. Standing Indian Mtn was okay. Not many views. Nice canopy with lots of shade and Rhodo's. Walking along ridge line when out of nowhere a white and gray owl came swooping down right into my face! AHHH! We looked each other directly in the eye for a second! The way his wings filled with air when he changed directions was amazing! It was like a river guide telling everyone in the raft to paddle, "ALL BACK!". Every inch of him was stroking in the opposite direction. Crazy! His feet were even paddling backwards. He banked left...and I dived to the right. My hands were cupped together like I was about to beg or pray or something. Crap, that bird scared me!My Steripen is a piece of crap. Don't buy them. I'm drinking untreated water right now. Being very picky about the source. I ate poorly cooked grits for breakfast. I should say, choked down grits. Had my last cup of instant coffee that Lish gave me. Took my shoes off. Had to laugh out loud at the simplicity of the joy that swept over me at that moment. So peaceful and happy today! People waiting in line everywhere. Conveyor belts of prepackaged entertainment in the form of theme parks, movies and malls...and here I am, completely satisfied! Things just won't be the same after this. It's like those vacations I took were 50% fun and 50% stressful.Went through the most amazing Rhodo thicket like no other I've ever seen. Shady hiking through the leaves but the sun is burning bright. Passed "Shag". He's quiet.Got to Carter Gap shelter to avoid noon day sun. "Country" was there. He was wearing cotton socks and flat bottom tennis shoes. He lit a cigarette and left. I poured out my water with foreign objects in it...there was a nice spring nearby. Listened to carpenter bee's, squirrels and crap flies buzzing around and thought, "This life's for me!" It's so nice not to see the same thing everyday. It's like the worlds an Etch-a-Sketch and someone erases everything while you sleep. Snickers, Daytripper, Chill and Pepper came up while I was still taking a lunch break.What a view from Albert Mountain firetower! Wow, I swear I could see the coast up there! Climb up wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. Not anywhere remotely as difficult as I had been told and warned. On the way up, I passed "Country" again. He was washing his feet in a spring. Bad idea. Moisture = blisters. Albert wasn't any worse than Linville Gorge could be.Lost my bear bag rope. I through it up to the cable while it was still tangled up. My momma use to tell me, "Boy, you could tie a knot in a logging chain!" Haha. Stopping at Franklin, NC tomorrow for a resupply. Hoping "Country" doesn't make it to my shelter tonight. Apparently, he's carrying an axe. And he beat on the side of a shelter one night to wake up someone who was snoring. Creepy man.