Date: 2007-06-03
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

The death of me on this trip is not a horrid lightening storm, a freak bear attack, dehydration, or even slipping off a precipice during an exposed ridgewalk the likes of yesterdays. The death of me on this trip is my stomach. I probably burn some 6,000-calories a day, and consume somewhere in the 4,000 vicinity a day, as I can't carry the weight that it would require to eat 6,000 burned! Thus, my mind is forever on that which hikers call "real food". According to Wingfoot, at Sams Gap, 11.2-miles North of here (Flint Mountain Shelter), there is a diner just 2.9-miles down the highway. Wingfoot says nothing of the cuisine, but only that it is open daily. The wheels in my mind are already turning, churning, grinding away as to whether or not I should follow my stomach in this regards, as I remember my instance from yesterday! Well, I have 11.2-miles to think about it!The hike today is nice, as the weather is nice. It is June 3, and I'm still in the Deep South, yet the temperature is quite enjoyable, pleasurable. Between Flint Mountain and Sams Gap, the highest elevation is 4,460'. Shortly into my hike, there is a wide-open vista to the left of the Trail, visible while walking. I can see I-26 over there... at least I assume that's which highway it is, as I know I will cross under it at Sams Gap. At this vista, I meet a father and son from Florida. Well, the father is from Germany originally, but has been here for years, now. If ever they thru-hike, I think the son already has a good mindset, and he's maybe 10- or 11-years old! Here's why: I ask about the availability of water ahead (they're hiking South), and the father assures me there's a good water source at the shelter. The son blurts out, "It's a good water source, sure, but it's a LONG walk!" The dad, with a slightly irate tone, retorts, "Son, this young man is a thru-hiker! A distance like that is nothing to the likes of him, as he's already walked so far!" I laugh at how wrong the dad is, as most long-distance hikers I meet bitch about shelters and water sources that are much more than .1 or .2-miles of Trail! I chuckle even more when I look in Wingfoot later, and see that the shelter is---Hogback Ridge Shelter---is 600' off Trail, and that, at the shelter, there is another side trail to the water source, which is 400 YARDS, ONE-WAY! That's 4 football field lengths! When I come upon the spur trail to the shelter, I stop to stretch and eat a candy bar, and hike on, opting to not add unnecessary distances to my hiking!After High Rock, I come to Sams Gap. I have decided to try hitchhiking to this diner, as I'm not about to walk a near 6-mile distance off Trail for a hot meal... but, if someone doesn't mind picking up me, all gangly looking, I'll gladly indulge! I try hitchhiking for 30-minutes, before giving up. Not only does no one pick me up; there's hardly any traffic! You see, the Trail follows US23 under I-26, before cutting back into the forest. I-26 is a raging tempest with traffic, but US23, on this sleepy Sunday, is like a ghost town!I press back on to the Trail,and hike North. My proposed destination for today is Bald Mountain Shelter, just over Big Bald. This is the bald that Blue Skies said is better than Max Patch! I'm anxious, so I press on, walking through the dense forest. I know the climb to the summit of Bald Mountain will be crazy, as it's a .7-mile climb from the base to summit, ascending 616' in that short distance!Arriving at the base of Big Bald, I see a signpost, pointing towards a bypass trail for those who don't want to make the strenuous climb atop the over-a-mile-high bald mountain! I, for my part, despite my tiredness, approach it eagerly, remembering the climb up Albert Mountain in North Carolina, with a similar elevation gain in less distance! The climb is definitely steep, intense, strenuous, killer; but, oh-so-exhilarating! I love every moment of it, as adrenaline is pulsating through my body, propelling me up the steep side of the monstrous mountain!Atop the mountain, I have hazy views, as the day is still overcast. It is, nonetheless, beautiful. This mountain is not only tall, it is HUGE in its breadth and girth! The summit is practically treeless, but covered with grass and beautiful wildflowers. I take many pictures, and continue hiking as it is pretty chilly up here (one can get hypothermia in even the Appalachian Mountains any month of the year). The Trail drops to the bypass trail again, which I assume is the saddle for Big Bald here, before climbing the next peak on the mountain. This climb is pretty steep, too, but not rocky at all. At the top of this summit, I pass through a grove of trees and into treed in "meadow". The Trail then dips into the forest again, and shortly comes to a sign for Bald Mountain Shelter, just .1-miles off Trail, and I can see the shelter through the trees.At the shelter, I remove my pack, and sit there, thumbing through the register, checking to see where hikers such as Sagbutt and Lucas are, and also High Life, whom I've recently met. I hear a loud noise nearby, likely a bear. I automatically reach for my camera, and get ready to "investigate", when High Life shows up, being the culprit of the noise! He had just used the privy, and the sound I heard was the door slamming shut!High Life is looking for two other hikers, McCray and Mr. Burns, whom I have yet to meet, but have read numerous times in the registers. He figures they're tenting up ahead, and endeavors to catch them. We're both planning on heading to Erwin, TN tomorrow, so I'll see him again tomorrow!I have one freeze-dried meal left from my parents, which they bought me in Gatlinburg. It's a vegetarian pasta primavera, and it is truly delectable, with rich, creamy goodness!I say my prayers, and climb into my sleeping bag, cold at this elevation of almost a mile (5,100') in my thermals. Tomorrow, I go to town again, and can have some real food, which I missed out on today at Sams Gap and yesterday at Log Cabin Road. Erwin is only 16.9-miles North of here, a distance I know I can easily cover by afternoon. I must surely sleep with a smile on my face, knowing that there is pizza, beer, and ice cream at the end of the road tomorrow!