Date: 2005-04-24
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: North of Standing Bear
Miles today: 16.4

When I awoke this morning I found about ten inches of snow on the ground. Most of the hikers were not even stirring yet when I decided to get up and get going. Swinger was up and wanted to go with me however, he only had on trail shoes and try as he may, he eventually turned back. After eating breakfast I headed out at 8:10 behind two day hikers. They broke trail for about the first two miles. They were glad to see me when I caught up to them because I took my turn breaking trail. They were only going as far as the Snake Den Ridge Trail and then they planned to turn off the AT to a nearby trail head where they had parked their car.    I left a message in the snow that I scratched out with my hiking stick that just said, "see ya". For the next 3.9 miles I broke trail through snow drifts up to three feet deep. The trail again was easy to follow because it was on top of the ridge line but it wasn't easy physically. I moved on until I came to the "Cosby Knob Shelter". There I noticed that some six or so hikers walked out from the shelter, heading north, some time that morning. I waited for an hour there at the shelter, ate my lunch and waited to see if anyone else followed me. I found out some did leave the shelter but did not go as far as I did that day. I was approached by many hikers later on up the trail who were there that night and was thanked for busting the trail out. I told them truthfully that my motivation was the fact that I was freezing my butt off.          At about 1 PM I moved on. The trail was easier because the other hikers broke the way. At the turn of for the Cosby Campground and ranger station it looked like a large group entered the trail which made the move real easy. I was still moving on because I was still bone cold from the night before. Eventually I ran in to this group that was ahead of me. They were heading back down the hill. They summited MT. Cammerer and went up into the fire tower (They looked cold with a few border line cold weather injuries about to happen, glad they were not staying out tonight). The trail to the tower turned off a little further on and I was back to following the six north bounders. Two south bounders passed me by making the trail even better for me, I was getting tired. I made it to the Davenport Shelter, signed the register, and still chilled moved on again. I went all the way to The Standing Bear Hostel with all intentions of staying there. As I arrived I ran into a hiker by the name of G.R.U.M.P. He said he was moving on which I thought was strange being it was almost dark. When I went in to the hostel I found out why he left. A local man intoxicated on mountain juice was there and to tell you the truth, I just did not want to be around him. To each is own but that was not for me so again, I moved on.    I caught up to and passed G.R.U.M.P. and bedded down along the trail "Cowboy Style" after close to 16 trail miles and 2.6 road miles. G.R.U.M.P. caught up to me and I invited him in to my camp. We sat and shared a cup of tea together and I am here to tell you this, I thought I was a hard man till I met this man. He was harder then Wood Pecker lips. First I asked as we all do, how did you come up with your trail name. He told me he was a Retied United Methodist Preacher. His intention was to use the trail name R.U.M.P. He figured, by his own words that, "Some one had to be the last on the trail". His wife did not approve or see it that way so he added the G on to the acronym so there you have it, G.R.U.M.P. He hiked at night all night long. He did not cook at all, a cold camp is what I call it and ate hardly anything. He told me he only ate a breakfast bar in the morning, his lunch consisted of re-hydrated rice that he put into a Gatorade bottle (with water) the night before he consumed it and for supper a can of cold whatever. This evening he ate some ravioli, about three ounces worth. His clothing consisted of Blue Jeans for pants, cotton shirts and he carried a back pack that weighed twice what I was carrying.    For weeks the man was ahead of me. He left that night in the dark and walked all night long without a flash light. Further on up the trail I would find his entries and say, "Dang, how did he get by me". I never saw him again except one time many miles north. The man was a strong hiker. Claimed to never cook at home so why cook on the trail. He was a Nam Vet that was working on his own issues. I respected that and did not ask anything more on the subject.