Date: 2006-03-24
From: Hogpen Gap, GA

To: Blue Mountain Shelter, GA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day: 7Date: 3/24/06Weather: Snow, coldBear Sightings: 1Start: Hogpen Gap, GAFinish: Blue Mountain Shelter, GAMiles: 11.4A.T. Total: 48.3Clay: It snowed last night on the trail. By God's grace we were at our friend's home last night--Kneebee and Medicine Woman. We woke up today with new vigor. They drove us back to Hogpen Gap and they surprised us. Our hosts, trail angels, and friends wanted the four of us to hike to Low Gap shelter together! Of course!  As we walked we were amazed by the wonderland of snow and ice around us. Ice crystals formed sideways from the blowing winds on the white-covered landscape. We hiked slow and steady contantly saying, "Ooooo" and "Ahhh". What a perfect time we had with our friends.The remainder of the day we hiked with "WisconsKen". It was great hanging out with this musician. both he and Branch were having knee problems. So, we thought it would be helpful if he hung out. That is, we thought that conversation may help him to think less about his knee. It was fun talking to him as we walked through the snow. We even talked about the meaning of life.We had originally planned to do big miles and stay in Helen in order to stay out of snow and cold. However, God had different plans. Crusty and Shoto wanted to stay at Blue Mountain Shelter. We love these guys! How could we say no? Hot shower and a bed versus hanging out in the snow--no problem. So, after a little consideration and paradigm shifting, we stayed with our friends. It was worth it. We talked about cosmology, grace, intelligent design, infinity, and a host of other fun topics.As I was getting our water for the night, I looked up and there was a bear cub about 15 feet from me! The cub was cute but I did not want to see it's mama. Bears need to experince negative reinforcement near humans and near camp. Otherwise, they could associate food and people. That could be dangerous. So, I began clanging my cooking pot and asking little bear cub to leave. It was like walking a cute dog. Unfortunately, the bear cub went into camp.Branch: At the time of Craig's bear sighting, I was in our tent reassessing our food needs and doing a few other small chores. All of the sudden, I heard some shout, "If you want to see the bear, there it is!" Simultaneously, I heard a loud, constant clanging noise, as if someone were clanging their pot to get the bear away. Knowing that Clay was in the general direction the hiker had pointed, I knew that he had to be involved in some way. At the sound of the shout, people began running at the poor cub with camera in hand. Soon, the misguided cub was darting between tents quickly followed by camera flashing hikers. As if posing for us, the frightened cub leapt up onto a tree for a pose! As if waking from a dream, everyone seemed to realize that where a baby is, a mama must be nearby. So, everyone began to shout at the bear in order to chase it away. After a few moments, the bear ran away and the excitement was over. Afterwards, there was never a more "Leave No Trace" conscious group of hikers. We definitely did not want a visit from mama or papa bear in the middle of the night.As the sun went down and the temperature dropped, everyone gathered around the hottest, most wonderful campfire I've ever seen. As we huddled around the fire, I was so glad that we had stayed. It was obvious that God had lead us to spend time here, with our fellow hikers. Conversations were sprinkled with laughter and peppered with deep thought.It was so difficult to peel myself away from the safety and heat of the blazing fire tonight. To me, it was a wonderful reminder of how God is. His radiating heat and light draw me close to Him. He is life-giving and purifying. Leaving the fire for the coldness of the dark night was no fun. As I crawled into my sleeping bag, I thanked God for the great reminder.