Date: 2004-06-13
From: Brown Mtn Creek Shelter

To: Dutch Haus B & B
Miles today: 18.1

We had heard about a Bed & Breakfast in Montebello that was really nice. We talked each other into it. It didn't take much. We hiked together most of the day. At some point that day, maybe on what we thought was Cold Mountain, Buick broke out his cell phone to make a reservation at Dutch House Bed & Breakfast. We also had to make arrangements to be picked up on an old dirt road near the trail. The folks at the B&B had some doubt that we could make our ETA but we were confident.A couple of miles after leaving the shelter this morning the trail crossed US-60. As it reentered the woods, a little cooler jumped out in front of me. Wow. Trail magic. Inside there was a zip lock with a few dinner roles in it. Not the best but better than nothing. The thought crept into my mind of how long this might have been here but it was quickly banished. Leave one for Buick. He should be along soon. A car dropped a hiker off. The driver wished me well and good trail magic just as I turned and headed into the woods.It was a mighty damp day, though not raining. I came upon three older teenage guys debating over a map or guidebook or something. We talked a bit. They had spent the night off the summit of Bald Knob just ahead. I didn't ask but they appeared to be southbound form the looks of things. They were just out for a couple of nights. One seemed to be more competent or at least more knowledgeable and was the guy in charge. It made me happy to see some teenagers out here on their own. Buick may have caught up while we were talking. A bit later we encountered some folks working on the trail in this all too damp weather and thanked them. More than 10 miles later we stopped into Seeley-Woodworth Shelter for some lunch part two and a short break. There was a man there we fell into conversation with. It seemed he was meeting up with his teenage son and two of his friend here. That sounded familiar. After a brief exchange of descriptions it was my sad duty to explain to this guy that his kid and company weren't heading this way. They were southbound. They must have gotten turned around in the fog when they got up this morning in the meadow. He was pretty distraught. He and his son had done some extensive hiking in the area in the past. They didn't know he was planning to rendezvous with them. We tried to calm him explaining that they seemed to be in good shape and dealing with this would be good experience for his son. He tried to call his son and then his wife on his cell phone. Buick offered his phone too but the signal here was bad. His son's phone was probably off and in his pack. His wife didn't quite understand what the problem was and the connection was bad. He concluded the best course of action for him was to hike out. Go home and wait for a call for a pickup. Oh well.It wasn't much further when we turned right, down the rough dirt Fish Hatchery Road to meet our friends from Dutch Haus Bed & Breakfast. They were there picking up some other hikers when we showed up early. It saved them a trip. The truck bumped down the dirt road, through the locked gate past the little corner store and up the drive of a very nicely kept home with a nice lawn. It had only been an 18.1 mile day but that meant we were in plenty of time for dinner.We walked around back to the enclosed porch set up as a dining room. We all started to take our boots off when the Mrs. said, ¢Oh no you don't. I'd rather deal with the dirt than the smell. Come on in.¢ That was a good attitude. The place was beautiful, rustic and homey. This was there house and we were just guests just staying in the family's bedrooms. Buick and I had a room on the first floor with a set of bunks. Oddly, the closet was full of old bathrobes. There was a single printed page explaining how things worked. It basically said, "Take off you clothes and put on a robe. Leave anything you want laundered in the bin and put it by the kitchen door. It'll be ready in the morning at the latest. Take a shower and make your self at home." Wow, this was great. There was even a computer in the living room with a satellite Internet connection.Lois & Earl run the place along with the help of their teenage son. During the busy summer months they live down in the basement. That night, there were so many folks, Lois had to feed us in two shifts. The meal was fabulous including the vegetarian fare. Earl was shuttling folks back from trail heads both north and south. Meanwhile their son was helping out with the laundry, a bit grudgingly. On one of his shuttles, Earl took a bunch of us to the the local store so we could get some minor resupplies and snacks. It seems hard to believe that with all we were fed I still wanted snacks but it's true. He then continued on to drop his son at the school for something. He picked us up on the return trip.The B&B was packed with hikers, both thru and section. A number of folks were spending several nights here and taking advantage of the shuttle service to slack pack. The next night there would be a bunch of ¢regular¢ bed & breakfast folks here. That is to say non-hikers, tourists, who just come for a vacation. That must be an interesting mix. It also may mean that some hikers will be turned away. You can't blame Earl & Lois though. Those folks pay more than we do. Interesting.Loud Guy:There was one problem however, loud guy, remember him, he showed up. We got to eat with him. I really had to bite my tung. He just wouldn't shut up. There were people at the table I really wanted to talk with but it was impossible. He would interject into any conversation and dominate it. At one of the meals he kept jabbing me with his elbow as if I were an old friend. He pushed a bit too far at breakfast and got a fairly sharp response from me. If only I could remember the details but it seems to have been blocked from my mind. Maybe it's just as well. Maybe Buick remembers. Don't worry. It was a cordial enough tongue lashing. But he heard it. That was obvious because he later would refer to it, sort of goading me on. Grrr.One thing we learned from Loud Guy was that the hiker feed the other day did happen. It was just three hours later than anticipated. There would have been no way to survive that company that long. We had to go.After dinner the laptop computer freed up. That gave me a chance to send out another email AT Update 6. That was nice.