Date: 2015-04-01
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: clear sky

What a change one day can make. I had a short hike into Fontana this morning and when I was coming across the road to where the shuttle will pick you up I hear someone singing the LSU Fight song. I knew that had to be for me and it was I Believe and Jimmy Spillman giving out trail magic. Jimmy immediately took my pack and put it in the back of his truck and then got me a coke and offered me something to eat. There were several hikers sitting around and enjoying their trail magic. I Believe and Jimmy had asked them if they knew me and they all said yes and they all commented how neat the hiker cards were that I give out from time to time.Once I finished my drink they put as many folks in their truck as it would hold and gave everyone a ride to the village. They had rented a cabin for the night and invited me to stay the night and even better was when Jimmy said I Believe was going to cook gumbo for dinner. When we got to the cabin the first thing I did was get a shower so I wouldn't stink everything up and then we sat around and talk all afternoon. Jimmy was taking off about every 30 minutes to give hikers rides back and forth to the trail.At about 4:30 Jimmy came back with a young couple named Georgia and Mouse from right outside Atlanta. They had started in February but had to get off the trail due to the weather and then had to get off one other time for some healing. It was a shock when they told us that Georgia was a youth pastor at a United Methodist Church and that the church had given him time off until the middle of June to hike the AT. They hope to get to Harper's Ferry the halfway point by then. I am not sure I have mentioned this before but Jimmy and Sherry (I Believe) both worked in the ministry all their careers. I thought that was pretty neat for Jimmy to just pick them without knowing this to come join us for dinner. What a great time we had in food and fellowship before they had to go back to their room at the lodge. Georgia set up a trail journal account while he was here so check it out.From yesterday until today my whole attitude has changed, from being down losing How Far who I also heard from this afternoon saying that the Dr. said it wasn't anything major with his knee and he plans on meeting back up with me at Hot Springs.I can't thank Jimmy and I Believe enough and they have been providing this magic to not only me but a lot of people on the trail. I know a lot of the folks from Baton Rouge know them and please if you see them thank them for what they do for the hikers. People like them along with your words of encouragement is what keeps you going each and every day.I also had a chance to talk to I Believe about my special Trail Angel 'Lil Trail Dancer' and she thought that she was one special person just as I do.Tomorrow I will get a room at the lodge and hit the trail to the smokies on Friday. I hope the weather will hold out so that I can fine me a special place to have my very own sunrise service on Easter Morning. If I can't be in church I can't think of a better place to be.Excuse the way the picture looks because my settings on my camera were accidentally changed.It might be a while before I have service to upload my next journal but stay tuned because I will as soon as I canBean Counter