Date: 2004-04-27
From: Carver's Gap

To: Elk River Campsite
Miles today: 19.9

Day 454.27.046:15pmThought I was going to get my much-sought after (but ultimately meaningless) 20-mile day in. Curses. Stumped again. Only 19.9. Darn. One lousy tenth of a mile. And believe me, I walked plenty more than 20 today, just not all of it white-blazed. I went down to Overmountain. Could¢ve cried, it was so idyllic. Yippy and Jabberwalk were just getting on the trail for the day. Jester was just packing up, and I met Tree Frog on his way out. The shelter was an old barn (red, of course), with meadows and fields around it. Caught myself searching for old farm tools and machinery. Ack, this is so frustrating. I write so much in my journal mentally, in my head, as I hike, but by the time night rolls around and I have leisure to write, I¢m too pooped to do anything other than (attempt to) sleep. Ah well, I¢ll record what I can. Yesterday was my best trail magic every. Got into Carver¢s Gap, just as the fabulous family of Brian (GAME ¢99), Torrin, Ben, & Claire Ann were packing up camp. Every year for his b-day, they come and b-b-q a feast for thru-hikers. I missed the food (got some apples and a Pepsi) but preferred the ride to a motel. Thoroughly waterlogged, I¢m sure I was a pitiful sight. They shuttled me to Spruce Pine, NC, the nearest town w/ a hotel. Awesome folks. Drove a dripping, smelly stranger 30 miles. People like that make our hikes possible. So, I shed water all over the lobby floor of the Pine Bridge Inn as I asked their rates. $60. Ouch! But, I needed the room. As long as it had a bathtub and a heating unit. I got to my room, dropped my pack, whose contents promptly exploded all over everywhere. Whipped off the wet clothes, took a piping hot shower. Removed the shriveled layer of skin from my waterlogged feet. Decanted the water from my boots. Wrung out my socks. Hung my tent in the tub. Draped everything else over every flat surface (at this point I had discovered that my pack had leaked and absolutely everything I owned was soaked -- Wingfoot¢s still a little damp). Cranked the heat up to 90deg. or whatever the max was, and went to buy groceries. Came back 2 hours later. Amazing what heat can do. My stuff was well on its way to functionality again, although nothing was totally dry until morning. And this morning, I lucked out again on the trail magic. Gidget, the night desk clerk, was just ending her shift and offered to drive me back up to Carver¢s Gap. Bless her heart. So, I was on the trail again by 8 this morning, dry, refreshed, and ready to go. Gorgeous views coming up from Carver¢s. Would¢ve missed them had I pressed on yesterday. (Did miss the views from Roan -- would like to rehike on a better day). Saw Overmountain¢s barn. The climbs up Little Hump and Hum Mtns weren¢t too strenuous, other than being tossed around like a ragdoll by the wind. Don¢t know how strong the gusts were, but they were hefty enough to push me & my 45# pack 5 feet off the trail. Today also marked another inevitable -- getting lost. Crossing 19E, I missed the blaze across the road. Instead, I headed east about 20m, saw a trail. Then saw a sign for AT crossing. Started up the trail/road-bed. Didn¢t see any white blazes. Also, it just didn¢t feel like the AT. Hiked uphill about 1/3-mile. Decided to turn around and look for blazes SOBO. Nada. Saw the AT crossing sign again and figured I had to be in the right spot. Decided to hike for 15 minutes. If I didn¢t see anything, I¢d head back to the S side of 19E, look for a blaze, and then head back to the shelter 12-mile south. Well, I walked 12 mile up that bloody trail/road again. Still came up empty-handed. Got back onto 19E, where I knew the trail had come up. And then I saw it -- the blessed white blaze. Right in front of my face. Sure, I was pissed at myself for wasting 45 minutes (and 2 extra miles on my legs), but I was more happy than anything else, for being reunited w/ an old friend. I felt lost on that other trail, but on the AT I was home again. I put in another 7 miles past the road. Camped now along the Elk River w/ quite a crowd -- Benny & Franco, Chris & Elly, Jabberwalk & Yippy, Matt & Karen, and Crash Bang. All headed to Kincorra tomorrow. Full house there, I suppose. Really tired from a long day of many sorts of exhaustion. Ready for bed.