Date: 2004-05-09
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Psychological Milestone
Miles today: 17.6

As I lay my sleeping bag just before getting up, I heard the faint sounds of snoring coming from the crowded shelter. I was glad to have slept in the quietude of my teepee tarp. I put on my short sleeved shirt which was still damp from having been rinsed in the stream yesterday. It felt lousy against my skin, so I peeled it off and replaced it with a long underwear shirt. It would be necessary to hold the damp shirt and air it out while hiking.During the morning, I made a long descent out of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Along the way, I caught up with hikers Zip Off and Kato, the pair of older hikers.Kato, 78, was limping. "This isn't fun," he told me. He said that he needed to see a doctor.I stopped and wrote down in my pocket notebook a motivational quote called "While Daring Greatly" by the late president, Teddy Roosevelt. It states that what matters the most is being "in the arena" and experiencing victories or defeats rather than sitting comfortably in the grey twilight that knows neither victories nor defeats. Those aren't the exact words, but that is the theme. I approached Kato while he sat alone on a rock beside the trail. He was cutting a slice of summer sausage. I read to him the motivational quote. He asked me for the paper on which I had written it.The long downhill ended at Davenport Gap, where I officially left the Great Smoky Mountains. I immediately noticed a change in the environment. The forest seemed less alive. Fewer birds were chirping. The woods were no longer lush with dense vegetation; the forest seemed thin. I crossed a rural road and ascended a slope. Two unopened cans of Budweiser had been placed beside the trail, another act of intentional kindness by strangers, or "trail magic" as hikers call it. I picked up one of the cans. At that exact moment, a clap of thunder resounded in the sky. For whatever the reason, I changed my mind about drinking the beer. Instead, I penned a note to Zip Off and Kato who were hiking behind me, telling them to help themselves to the beers.As I hiked through the woods in Davenport Gap, thunderstorms were trailing behind me. On several instances, I heard what sounded like the patter of raindrops striking the ground. When this happened, I would look up through the trees to the sky. Instead of seeing ominous clouds, I would see blue sky. The dark clouds would be visible behind me or off to the sides. It did not make sense that rain would be falling with clear skies directly above. Eventually, I figured out what was happening. Those alleged raindrops were actually grasshoppers hopping away in large numbers as I passed them by. When they landed on the ground or on the tops of small plants, they sounded like raindrops. Davenport Gap is a largely rural area in spite of a highway which cuts through it. It has several secondary roads. I was trying to find one of two establishments in this area that sells foodstuffs. My supply of food was getting low. Instead of locating these places, I became confused as to where they were supposed to be. My directions were vague. At the on-ramp to the highway, I stopped walking and tried to figure out my next move.A pickup truck pulled over. In the driver's seat was Kato. He had hiked off the mountain on a different trail to the place where his truck was parked. I placed my backpack in the bed of the truck and hopped into the cab. He said he was looking for Zip Off. I directed him to the spot where the Appalachian Trail intersects with a road. There, Zip Off was resting and drinking one of the Buds. I moved into the bed of the truck and the men drove me to a place for resupplying called Mountain Momma¢s. During the ride, I noticed that some of the signs along the road were pockmarked with bullet holes.The men let me off where the trail passed by the on-ramp of the highway. I wished Kato a recovery of his ailing foot.It was a hard climb back into the mountains; that is what usually happens after crossing a deep gap.I reached the upper level of Snowbird Mountain and looked behind me. The open terrain rewarded me with a beautiful view of The Great Smoky Mountains.At that moment, a wave of satisfaction swept over me. I was looking back not only on The Great Smoky Mountains, but on the entire hike to date. Behind the Smokies (and beyond my actual view) was the Nantahala Wilderness, which I had crossed. Further back were the mountains of Georgia, another obstacle that I had overcome.Snowbird Mountain is not a famous location on the Appalachian Trail. I have never heard other hikers talk about it. I suppose it can be described as obscure. But for me, standing on the summit of that mountain represented a psychological milestone. I felt that at last, I have made a significant dent in this long trail from Georgia to Maine.It was late when I reached Groundhog Shelter located in Low Gap. There were no hikers present. I would be spending the night alone.With little daylight remaining, I hurriedly went about my routine. There was a stream located a short walk away. There, I peeled off my clothes and gave myself a sponge bath. While in this naked condition, I heard something roar in the woods. I did not know the source of the sound, but it creeped me out.There was a picnic table at the shelter. At the end of it, I lit my Pepsi can stove and boiled some water. While this was happening, I sat down on the seat. The table sagged and the pot of water fell to the ground. That was the least of my problems. The stove had tipped over, spilling the alcohol fuel over the end of the table. Suddenly, that end of the table was ablaze in flames. I managed to push the stove off the table and on to the ground. When this happened, some grass caught on fire. What a scene! Two fires at once. I grabbed my water bottle and extinguished the flames. As darkness fell, I crawled into my sleeping bag with a sense of satisfaction about things in general. But my happy vibe was marred by the sound of a mouse. I aimed my head lamp toward the sound and caught the rodent in the light. He was a big mouse, darting for cover behind a wooden beam and uttering a squeak. I continued this game of light and mouse. My concern was that the mouse would gnaw into my backpack.I gave up and closed my eyes. The pitter patter sounds of the mouse continued intermittently.Suddenly, I heard a brief flutter of wings close to the shelter, followed by some kind of a commotion. After that, I never heard from the mouse again. I think it had been snagged by the talons of an owl. What a happy thought to fall asleep on.