Date: 2004-04-03
From: Allen Gap

To: Devil Fork Gap
Miles today: 20.3

Today I had the best bowl of cereal of my life. Maple Brown Sugar Frosted Mini-Wheats with honey and sliced banana. I hope we have that up north.    We got a later start than we wanted to. The plan is to be dropped off my Arwen's family, hike 20 miles, and then use the van they are leaving for us to get back to Asheville. Last time we hiked 20 miles, it only took us 9 hours.    Today it took us 13 hours.    Met a guy named Bramble at the first shelter we passed. Former Army Ranger and firefighter raising money for cancer as he hikes the trail. Hoping to raise enough to get the fund's name changed to his aunt's name, whom he very recently lost to cancer.    Hiking in snow sucks. And the higher we got, the more snow there was. Every step uphill sent my back foot sliding a few inches back. I was doing almost twice as much work as I would normally be doing.    My achilles tendon in my left foot really started to hurt today too, so that slowed me down quite a bit.    We eventually got to sign where the trail split. The trail to the right had a white-blaze and the sign read "Exposed Ridgeline." The trail on the left had a blue-blaze and read "Bad weather route." Well, we knew the trail probably wasn't going to be in GREAT shape, but the weather right NOW wasn't bad, so white blazes it is.    The trail was horrible. Probably beautiful in the summer, but right now it was COVERED in snow and ice. Made for some very dangerous scrambling. It was PAINFULLY slow-going.    By the time we made it to the next shelter, it was already 4:30. We still had 8 miles to go, and we wanted the day to be over NOW. But with no sleeping bags or food, it wasn't safe to stay. The shelter was crowded, and everyone seemed to feel our pain as we reluctantly left. While at the shelter, I found out that another guy I had started out with was off the trail. Mailar. They said he was passing blood and had to get to a doctor. Hope he's doing alright.    The only nice part of the day was a bald I crossed over before it got dark. Heather, Arwen, and Nuffy all passed me. With my achilles tendon feeling the way it was, I couldn't possibly keep up. It hurt bad.    And when the sun was finally down and I was hiking with my headlamp on, I started to freak out. My imagination started running wild. First I thought about those coyotes I heard in the Smokies. I pictured them staring at me limping along the trail and deciding to take advantage of this strange but obviously injured prey. And coyotes travel in packs of course. I mean, I might be able to fight off one, but anymore than that, and I'm screwed.    And what's the best thing to see when you are already freaked out and hiking alone in the dark with your imagination running wild? Well, a couple of gravestones of course. Right there next to the trail. Looking in my companion, I discovered that they were the gravestones of a father and son who had fought with the Union Army during the Civil War. When visiting some family in North Carolina, they were ambushed and killed by Confederate soldiers at a spot just near here.    Great. Coyotes AND Civil War soldier ghosts.    I was very relieved to finally get to the road crossing after a few hours where the others where waiting in the van. We agreed not to discuss the trail or what are plans for tomorrow are until tomorrow actually comes. We will drive home....eat...and get some sleep.    Today was by far the toughest day any of us had had so far.