Date: 2004-02-25
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Log entry 25Start Time- 0930End Time- 1800Morning Weather- partly sunny, cold. Below freezing at nightAfternoon Weather- sunny, 40 degEvening weather- very windy, just at freezing, but temps are dropping.Breakfast- chocolate CIB and fudge roundsLunch- chewy bars, oats n honey, honey roasted nuts, raspberry teaDinner- chewy bars, Lipton rice (Cajun rice with beans and also I added a pouch of turkey (good eating), mixed berry green tea and hot chocolateTrail description- much of the same problems as yesterday. The trail was clearer today but still lacked lots of white blazes. You knew you were walking on some path, but not sure if I was the AT OR not. The section from Devils Fork Gap onto Hogback Ridge shelter was very cool. It winds through a couple old homesteads and also along a stream with some really neat waterfalls. The climb up big bald wasn't bad except the snow was very hard to walk in. Bald Mountain is very cool. It ranks up there.People- no oneAnimals- an owl (they are so cool), some crowMoney- noneBiggest Complaints- Trail not well marked, physically tired, missed the family, left shoulder hurt once I got to the shelter (after I had dropped pack), also got very cold when I quit hiking.Narrative: Tough getting out of the bag this morning. Also cold walking for the fist couple miles. I really enjoyed the change in scenery once I crossed Devils Fork gap. The pasturelands reminded me of home. sigh... The trail also meanders past some old barns that were neat to see. Also there was a really neat little creek that had all kinds of little waterfalls and places where it ran over big, exposed sections of bedrock. Made me wish my dad was here to share with him, only 2 more days!! I am so excited. I can't wait to see them in Erwin. As the trail continues up towards frozen knob and Big Flat it follows a fence line. It reminded me of my great uncles back home who still farm. I wanted so bad to talk with great Uncle Lloyd or Harv and pick their brains about the good old days. Something I hope to do when I get back. Just one of the may things that you don't realize how blessed you are until you step away from it all.I ate a long lunch at Hogback Ridge shelter and read the shelter log. The last 2 days I have taken hour-long lunches. It¢s kind of nice actually. I pressed onward and must have been moving along at a healthy pace because I made it to the shelter in 4 hours, 10 miles. As I climbed I though about honesty and integrity. The speech I had in mind was the ¢cheating stinks¢ one that Professor Meesig of Grand Valley State gives at the beginning of each semester. What struck me about his lecture was the part where he says that ¢even if you don¢t cheat, but know that someone else did, and you don¢t do anything about it; well, then you are saying that cheating is okay and its something that you tolerate. Don¢t tolerate it¢¦¢ I think about that a lot, even back at home. It really can be applied to all kinds of sin as well. So long as we (I) don¢t do anything about it, we (I) am saying that we¢re okay with it. There is lots to say on this subject...Big bald was awesome. A little cloudy but good view. The temp dropped 10 deg on the climb up the bald. The wind also kicked up so I quicklysnapped a bunch of photos and beat feet 1.1 miles to the shelter.The wind didn¢t stop all evening. It made me wonder but not too concerned since I was currently warm and dry.I journaled for a while and then read a little more of the Bible. The wind keeps blowing my candle out so I guess I should go to bed, I don¢t feel like using my headlamp any longer. There is something very cool about reading by candlelight.