Date: 2013-04-17
From: Big Flat Campsite

To: Big Stamp/Dirt Road
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day Forty - Big Flat campsite to Big Stamp/Dirt roadI'm sitting on top of the world on Big Bald Mountain (5516ft) with a 360* view of mountains. Isn't this world awesome! We packed up and were ready to leave this morning by 7:30am and flew through the first few miles (even going uphill we were fast). We stopped at the first shelter because we both needed water. I dropped my pack at the side trail to the shelter as Hobo read a sign about the awesome trail magic 2.4 miles ahead! In the shelter we found Navigator still in his sleeping bag, he had been sick during the night and wasn't doing very well. Hobo left him with some meds and I walked way down the hill to refill our water (Snowman helped me carry it back up). Then we were on our way to the trail magic! It was getting hot but just knowing we were in for a treat was enough to make us push on. When we got to the road we walked up 200yds and right in front of a cemetery found Quiet Paul. Immediately he asked us if we liked eggs and started cooking. We made us each a full plate of scrambled eggs and hash browns and had all the fixings. He had homemade coconut or pistachio muffins and oranges for us and a cooler full of assorted beverages. He even made a plate of eggs for Melkie! He is awesome! Turns out he has thruhiked in both directions and is currently hiking a section every fall. He also volunteers his time to maintain the local trails. Thank you Quiet Paul for the amazing treat and for all the work you do on the trails. When we left at least an hour later the sun was beating down on us and we were headed up all afternoon. Again I was overheated and stopped too often. We had a pack off break mid afternoon and several more water breaks and we saw another snake (that makes three days in a row). At one of the streams we stopped and talked to Ursa Major for a while it was so relaxing. Sometimes you can talk to someone for a few minutes and just know that you would get along great with them, thats how I feel about Ursula Major (too bad my dog doesn't seem to like her dog). By the time we started walking again we were back to our regular pace even though we had a huge mountain to climb. On the way up I actually spotted four more deer before Melkie did but they had already seen us and were taking off. On top it was amazing, just like Max Patch! We took tons of pictures and just hung out for a bit. We talked about sleeping up there but we thought it was too windy and because there were no trees I would have had to cowboy camp. We descended the bald and discovered that we would have to climb another one next. We decided to camp in a tiny patch of trees between the two balds and are planning on being on top of the next one for sunrise! It's past hikers midnight here and I have to get up early. Good night!Confessions of a thruhiker:"I could eat macaroni and cheese and spam for days."Trouble"I looked bedraggled, starved, homeless, and nearly possession less anytime I walked out of the woods and into a town. That is, until someone saw my face. Underneath all the dirt and sweat I am sure my eyes were shining and I was smiling. Despite what one might assume at first glance, I was not to be pitied, I was to be envied - during those five and a half months I felt truly alive. I lived by the sun and my own whims. I had a clear cut goal and was heading straight for it. Any distraction along the way was not considered an obstacle but, rather, was an added bonus to my adventure. Nevena "Gangsta" Martin