Date: 2011-05-06
From: near Hughes Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: light rain

Day 44 5/6: IntroductionsIts now day 44, so I figured I should describe our friends in a little more detail. Here is a short list of some of the people we have been hiking with. This is by no means a complete list. My appologies to my thruhike friends if I accidently forgot to add you or I have your information incorrect.Splitter: female, 27, from Buffalo, NY, works with handicapped adultsBootlegger: male, 35, Cleveland, OH, LawyerDVD: female, Austin, TX, artistWhisper: male, 28, TN, recent studentSarge: male, 40 something, Wyoming, retired military Sir and Lady No Name: a couple from Florida, 20 somethingSpeakeasy: male, 40 something, TN, hospital securityAnimal and Fro: a couple from North CarolinaYana: female, from AustraliaThis is a small list and will probably be updated as we go. On the trail people's past, including their real names and prior occupations, seem not to be as important as living in the moment. Information that is passed between hikers in first meeting usually consists of trail name, where someone is from, when they started, and if they are going all the way to Maine. Beyond that, the past is well the past and we are all just hikers now. Hiking has become our jobs and our entire lives.We hiked over Roan Mountain today in sleet and drizzle. We were low on water and I was so thirsty that I drank (or rather ate) some of the sleet. Yumm. Water I didn't need to filter! Hiking up Roan Mountain kicked my butt. Roan High Knob Shelter is the highest shelter on the AT, so we were compelled to visit it even though it was bitter cold. We had already sent our winter hats and gloves home. Plus, we needed to get water. Filtering water at the shelter proved to be a mess. After I was done, Trudge told me to "get up" so he could sit where I was and fill his bottles. I said "What do you say?" This banter went on for a minute or two and meanwhile the filter jumps out of his hand and lands in the "dirty" water. He didn't even realize it was not in his hand at first. (thats how cold it was) So much for completing this task. Then, I start to leave, slip on a root and fall face first onto the nalgene I just dropped. Had I not been worried about my teeth being busted, my eye turning black, my nose bleeding, or my glasses being broke, it would have made a great home video.The day continued on without too many more incidents. I am captivated by balds and their surrouding ecosystems. We climbed over Round Bald, Jane Bald, and near Grassy Ridge. I picked up a flier from the Friends of Roan Mt in a mailbox next to the trail. It described a new program that uses angora goats to control invasive plant species, including Canadian Blackberry. Due to the encroachment of invasives, grassy ridge is not so grassy anymore. You can "adopt" a goat to help pay for their care. We spent the night tenting outside of Overmountain Shelter, a barn that was converted into a shelter in 1983. A movie (Winter People) was shot at this spot. There are probably 30-40 hikers here tonight, many whom I don't know and many whom are section hikers.We hope to hitch to either the town of Elk Park or Roan tomorrow for "real: food and "real" groceries. We shall see. We have started to experiment with wild edible foods. We will be receiving our Peterson edible food guide in the mail in a few days. We put a few ramps in our chicken stew tonight. I've also eaten wintergreen berries, green/cat brier, and indian cucumber. Indian cucumber is my favorite thus far. It tastes like a combination of sweet peas and cucumbers. To really learn edible or medicinal plants takes time and practice. It is hard to devote enough time to learning the plants, while trying to make adequate northward progress.