Date: 2009-05-11
From: Campsite a Little After Tanyard Gap

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

 *Last night's entry was cut short by a need for sleep*Yesterday Continued:The oatmeal didn't last too long. I got dropped off just in time to check in and get to my flight, sat down in my exit row seat, and promptly fell asleep. I woke up in the air--I slept through takeoff!--and felt the need to grab the barf bag. So long oatmeal! I hope I didn't disturb anyone else, because I only stayed awake to get the water which was already coming by me. I barely even remember landing in Charlotte. I had enough time during my layover to call for a shuttle and get a breakfast from Burger King--somehow it had the breakfast most likely to stay down--before my flight. I landed in Asheville a little early and caught my shuttle.The man driving the shuttle was originally from Cincinnati, but moved down here because he loves the mountains/woods. He hunts, fishes, traps, hikes, kayaks, canoes and then some. He was definitely an interesting guy. He rides motorcycle, too. He got me back to Elmer's safely and for as cheap as anyone else--$100!--which was covered by Aunt Deb's generosity.When I got back everyone was happy to see me and was helpful/wished me luck. Sean told me to send a post card. I will definitely have to do so as a thank you for their help.When I went down town I realized that it was Sunday. The library and P.O. were closed. Dang it.Luckily, I also happened to meet Free and Mosely who were taking a zero day. I gave them postage and they said they would take care of it. I also happened upon Fiddle and Savage, who had been in town since Thursday (!) and met their parents again. We hung out for a while; I left town around one or two. I hiked about seven miles to a campsite which was shortly after Tanyard Gap (an overpass of 70 which I'd seen just a few hours before). I camped alone.The hike yesterday, camping last night, and even the first few miles of hiking today were tough. I feel like the time off hurt my body--I'm out of shape and felt like crap initially-- and it's going to be a while before I can get back up to my previous capabilities. My body ached more during this time--even more than it did when I first started--and so did my heart. It was ridiculously hard to get back on the trail again. I think the past 24 hours have been among the worst anxiety I've ever had. I felt like some scared little boy. I nearly cried at least ten times.I'm not sure why I felt so anxious, I've already done this before for three weeks. Heck, these have been some of my happiest moments--out here in the woods with some awesome people.I guess part of it was the shock of leaving Aunt Ellen's, where there were always at least 15 other people, usually more. Instant loneliness hurt after the constant, overwhelming social envelopment. But for some reason it hurts me more now that Uncle Bob is dead. What memories of him that I have have heen running through my mind and camping has suddenly become somewhat painful in and of itself.I even miss Hope more now than I have thus far--which IS saying a lot. That, especially, takes its toll quickly.All together, I have a lot racing through my mind and it hurts; but my anxiety seemed to nearly envelope me. I was slower and ran out of breath more quickly. It's scary how much it affected me.The fortunate thing is that meeting up and hiking with Fiddle 'n' Savage from this morning on was great comfort. It was good to catch up with them and talk for a while. I still miss Hope, home, and my conditioning, but at least there's a brighter side to things now, too.THey're here with me at the shelter now with Koop and a younger couple (whose names I forgot) who also eat a lot of food (yay, four of us now!).The couple was Tron and Penny. I also forgot to mention the abundance of lizards on the trail. It's cool to actually see things running around.