Date: 2015-04-27
From: USFS 230

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I am happy to return you now from my life the AT soap opera to my life the AT wilderness adventure.The trail met me early today, the miles passing by therapeutically. It was actually nice to have the weight of my pack (which I have named Big Bertha) again. Slackpacking was kind of liberating, the little black pack I won (not really little but definitely so in comparison to Bertha) letting me hike more freely, without excess pressure on my hips and shoulders. But Bertha has become a part of me now. She is vital to my success, containing my food, water, and shelter (not to mention poop shovel and pizza money) in her smelly blue depths. I wear her for 8 hours a day, sometimes more.I love and hate Bertha. I wish she had more pockets. I wish her hip belt didn't squeeze my bladder. I wish, on resupply days, she would stop trying to crush my spine. I am dependent on her, though. Plus she was a good deal, an older model on sale (AND blue, just my color. I may be Red Panda, but I love blue).The hike started out cold, then I got warm, then cold again. Taking my jacket on amd off is such a process - find good place to dump pack (no mud, no slope), carefully dump pack so it doesn't roll away, take off jacket, find a place to store jacket, put pack back on, readjust straps - so I just decided to stick my arms backwards through it, the hood flopping around in front of me. This got many comments from passing hikers. "Are you half frozen?" Ru asked as I passed her.This morning I saw two cool things: an owl and a bright red-headed woodpecker. The trail, as always, was beautiful, especially the early morning sun shining through the spruces on Unaka Mountain.Around lunchtime, I passed Sublime, an interesting older Canadian gentleman with a great accent. Columbo and I crossed paths with him yesterday as he wandered drunkenly up the trail. He wears a bright green fleece hat and a bright green shirt, a kilt, gaiters, and crampons. His pack is huge and ancient, with a metal frame and leather belt.Sublime was pissing off the side of the trail yesterday when a pair of southbound day hikers rounded the corner, surprising him into dropping his umbrella. He wandered on without noticing until Columbo and I caught up to him and gave it back.Today as I passed him, I said, "Good morning, Mr. Sublime! How are you today?" He raised his eyebrows and grinned at me, answering, "Sublime."My afternoon ended with a long climb up to Roan High Knob Shelter. It was a hard climb at the end of a long day. I started feeling kind of miserable, anticipating when I would finally get to stop. At one point I noticed that someone had drawn a smiling stick figure in some mud a couple of miles from the top, which cheered me up.It got colder and colder as I ascended, until I could see steam rising from the ground where the sun hit it, and I could see my breath pluming out in front of me.It is freaking freezing up here! Did I mention that this is the highest shelter on the AT? Hello, freezing cold night. Luckily this shelter has a door, and two levels. Hopefully the body heat we generate up here in the second level will keep us warm. Frozen Mac, Wild Turkey, Miami Vice, Huck, Lean To, and some guy whose name I don't know are here. Cheswick, the weight-obsessed shakedown guy from No Business Knob Shelter, stopped by but continued on, trying to make his goal of 30 miles a day.I am closer to my next mail drop than I expected! This meant I got to eat more of my M&Ms tonight. I still can't believe how much I eat. Wild Turkey ate nonstop for like two hours after I arrived, which made me feel better.I wanted to write letters tonight but my fingers are suffering so after I type this I am just crawling into my bag and conserving my body heat.I am cold. Thankful for my warm sleeping bag. And wool socks (thanks, Daddy!).Sublime just crawled upstairs telling us that he does not snooze (he means snore), much to the amusement of the group. Apparently the nuns at his school didn't want him because he brought down the average. Despite protests, he plans to continue on in the hopes that the bathroom at the nearby picnic area is unlocked (it is not supposed to open until Memorial Day).He is climbing back down the ladder singing and admitting he is crazy. I think he is my new favorite hiker on the trail.