Date: 2010-09-30
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I forgot to mention two other guys joined our group last night. They are Scott and Dan, two fathers out for a long weekend. Scott is an engineer at Proctor Gamble and Dan is an engineer at GE. They are both great guys and they are having a good time playing hooky from their families and jobs.   Everyone slept in late to the sound of rain on the tin roof of the shelter. No one was in a hurry to get wet. Breakfast was leisurely as we watched the rain fall from the heavens. A couple from FL, Melinda and DJ, had come in last night and where headed off the trail at Newfound Gap. They were the first to leave, as they only had three miles to walk to comfort. There is nothing like the promise of a hot showers and warm food to make you step out into a monsoon. They ,also, had a second quest to attend to on their way back to Florida. They were in search of the perfect Bar-b-que sandwich on the east coast. We were all envious of the next part of their journey.   Morgan was next to leave. He was looking forward to getting his gift to the lodge. I stepped off next,. My trailrunners and socks were pretty much waterlogged within thirty minutes. The Packa kept my pack and body dry for most of the day.   The trail follows a narrow ridgeline known as the Sawtooth range. I am told it is some of the best views the Smokies has to offer a hiker. The southern view is of the deep Oconaluftee valley and the NC mountains. You can see Mt. Le Conte, the Jumpoff and Groenbrier Valley on a clear day. Alas, it was NOT a clear day. Fog lay thick on the trail and I felt like I was walking in a Twilight Zone episode.   The famous Charlie's Bunion was coming up on this section of the trail. I was so excited, it is such a famous landmark on the AT. It is a large knob of exposed rock. The Bunion was named by Horace Kepthart in honor of the sore foot of Charlie Conner, who was rumored to have a record breaking bunion on his foot. Charlie was a local mountaineer who helped Kephart and photographer George Masa inspect fire and storm damage in 1929, before the convenience of trails.   The sign to the side trail appears in front of me, I stop and argue with myself. I can't see eight feet in front of me due to the rain and fog. I have dreamed about stepping out on this rock cropping for a long time. I know the books recommend to skip it if it is raining or icy, several hikers have fallen to their death under such conditions. If a hiker falls off the Bunion, alone on the AT, can anyone hear her scream? The Girl Scout in me kicks in and I pass the landmark by on this trip. The rain looks as if will be with me all day, so I focus on making it to the next shelter.   I walk in rain all day long. The trail has turned into a narrow, fast running creek. The rain has renewed the forest around me. I smell the sweet scents of balsam and pine. The birds are active and I have a small stroke when a grouse rises up in front of me, beating the air furiously with it's wings.    I meet one Southbounder, a woman in her sixties by the name of Tenderfoot. She is doing a section from Damascus, VA to Springer Mountain, GA. She is as happy as I am to be standing in three inches of fast running water. She, also, had trouble finding water these past weeks. We talk about the joy of hiking solo and she mentions she is from Vermont. I laugh and tell her my Mom was Miss Vermont in 1954. We chuckle about how small the world is on this narrow footpath.   Off we both go again, I north and she south. This part of the trail would have amazing views if it wasn't raining so hard. I don't take any breaks and only a quick standing stop for lunch. The weather is getting colder and I need to find the shelter.   The shelter sign appears out of the mist and I am one happy hiker. It doesn't even bother me the shelter is about a half mile off the AT down a steep incline.   I run, slide to the shelter and the first thing I do is get water. I take my pack with me, so I don't chance a bear having an evening snack with my provisions. The trail is slick, steep and muddy and about 50 yards down to the spring. I kneel down to reach the spring water and lose my balance. Over I go on to my back and pack. Think upside down turtle. I can't sit back up, the angle of the slope and the weight of the pack is too much for me. I'm freezing, the rain is hitting me in the face and I am worried my pack is taking on water. I think of Laurel and Hardy and say out loud, "well, Ollie, it is a fine mess you have gotten us into this time." I crack myself up and start moving. My legs and arms are flailing in the air. Finally I am able to rock myself over onto one side, then all fours and then I can stand up. If anyone had seen the whole episode they would have wet themselves laughing. All my outside chores done, I strip naked, towel off and dig in my pack for warm, dry clothes. Dressed warmly my body finally stops shivering.   Dan and Scott soon show up, thank goodness they missed my change of clothing. A soaked ridge runner named Caleb a/k/a Lucky is right behind them. I put my ski cap over my head and eyes while the guys change into dry clothes. They finally tell me I can take my cap off. We all have dinner and very hot cocoa and climb into our warm sleeping bags. It is cold and the rain continues to dance on the tin roof of our shelter. It is the last sound I hear as I fall asleep.