Date: 2005-03-30
From: just north of Boone Cove Rd.

To: 1.25 miles north of Little Bald Mtn.
Miles today: 18.1

start: just north of Boone Cove Rd.finish: 1.25 miles north of Little Bald Mtn. miles: 18.1day: 23Woke to a couple of dogs barking their fool heads off at us from a distance.  It was clear all last night, and warmer than usual, and I slept great.  I cooked some oatmeal while still in the sleeping bag, and then packed while waiting for it to finish cooking in the wonderful pot cozy.One thing I should say, in case I haven't.  Neither Goldilocks or I believe in hanging our food, except in shelters where mice are so prevalent.  When stealth camping, which is our preference, we just place our food bag nearby so we can hear if a small animal tries to get into it.  But this, and a chance bear encounter where people don't usually camp, is extremely rare.  The one additional thing we do in high density bear areas is to cook early and then hike elsewhere to camp, leaving much of the food smell behind.One other thing I may not have mentioned.  We carry Aqua Mira to purify water, but have only used it twice so far (two quarts each, total).  Once was at Fontana Dam, when after getting water from a restroom sink, we read a sign that said the water was unsafe to drink unpurified.  The other time was from a stream near a gravel road.  Other than this, the 6-8 quarts per person, per day, is unpurified.  We select mostly springs, and in rare cases high mountain streams.  We always take from above the trail when possible, and away from towns and roads.  The sketchiest places, in my opinion, are the springs at shelters, which receive very high traffic.  We choose other sources when possible.OK, back to the day's activities.  We hiked strong in the morning, with clear, breezy weather.  We had 8 miles to get to Sam's Gap, where there is an easy hitch to a restaurant.  We were shooting for 11:00 to be at the road, and I was only 3 minutes behind schedule.I found Johnny Blaze and Goldilocks getting into a van.  I hurried over.  It was Miss Janet!  She gave us a ride to the food place, and told us she'd probably see us tomorrow in Erwin.  A real nice lady, Miss Janet.We had some of the best double cheeseburgers we'd ever seen, for only $3.95 each.  And onion rings, and warm peach cobbler with ice cream.  And about 3 huge glasses of "unsweet tea."  That's what they call it down south to differentiate from "sweet tea", which is the more common drink.  I may have complained about this already, but where's the root beer down here?  No restaurants have it.  Makes me so sad.After our light snack, plus my sandwich to go, we worked at hitching back to the trail.  Finally got ride from some nice young folks in a van.Onward and upward.  7 miles to Big Bald, our high point for the day.  Not exactly Max Patch, but similar on a smaller scale.  Nice views in most directions, except where houses are being built on the mountaintop hillsides nearby.  Ate the tuna sub from the restaurant here.  Tasted great.  Ate a bunch of other stuff too.  We're always so hungry.We went north and over Little Bald, then started looking for a camping place.  The main criteria is relatively flat, which is unusual in this wrinkled land.Once we had our tarps up, Johnny Blaze came along and joined us.  Now it's after dinner (cooked from the sleeping bag - we assume the prone position whenever possible, as we're usually up and walking).The temperature has dropped bit, and the wind has picked up, but it's still clear.  9:00.  Time for tired hikers to be sleeping.