Date: 2018-04-20
From: Stealth Campsite at Mile 657

To: Campsite at Mile 677.1
Miles today: 20.1

The first thing that came to mind when I woke was ¢it¢s not freezing cold!¢ It was chilly, for sure, but not uncomfortably cold like I feared. Just looking at the day¢s new sky I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day. I got out of my tent, retrieved my food bag, and boiled water for coffee. My tent tarp was nice and dry too I noticed as I broke camp. I admired the little creek and the waterfall while I sipped my coffee and ate. Time to get crackin¢!I hiked through rhododendron thickets and then along a river until I reached a large footbridge across the stream. I crossed over the bridge and then a road before I reentered the woods. After a big climb I was getting too hot, so I stripped off my jacket and change into my short sleeve shirt. I climbed a little further and reached Bailey Gap shelter. I spoke with some hikers I hadn¢t met, as well as Cynthia and her dog Olive. Cynthia might be going by the trail name Torch, but she didn¢t seem to onto trail names. Most of the morning was spent climbing a long, rocky ridge. I stayed on top of the ridge for a while, just weaving in between boulders. The hiking was good and I felt like I had a good rhythm. I got to a sunny campsite around 11:30 and decided to break for lunch. I needed to change out my socks and air my feet, dry out my tent footprint and sleeping bag, and eat. I placed everything out to dry and sat to chow down. A young guy and a Canadian couple I had met at the shelter earlier this morning stopped to say hello. I can¢t remember their trail names. Cynthia and Olive stopped briefly as well. I had a tuna packet that had rice and beans in it, and tortillas with Jog Maple for lunch. I hiked on, planning on going about 17 miles to Laurel Creek Shelter. I made it to War Spur Shelter and saw Loner Boner hanging up a bunch of clothes on a clothesline there. I hadn¢t seen him since the last shelter before Damascus! He calls himself the slowest thing on the trail, but he had been moving faster than I! I stopped to say hi and then to filter some water just after the shelter. At the creek there was a young couple just out for the day laying in a hammock on a small island in the creek. Once I had my water, I looked for a way to hope across the creek. It was a little precarious hopping the requisite rocks and I almost fell in! Once I got to the other side, I looked around and realized the trail didn¢t cross the creek there. Drat! I thundered through the rhodo like a bull in a china shop looking for an easier place to get back to where I was. I ended up walking right by the couple¢s hammock on their island. ¢Excuse me, pardon me, sorry to interrupt your private time on your intimate hammock island for two! Don¢t mind me!¢ I made it back to the trail a bit embarrassed, and trekked on.Around the bend from that lovely experience I heard the shrill, short cries of a bird of prey. I looked around and finally spotted some kind of hawk directly overhead. It was smallish and making a lot of racket, but when it took off to fly it did not look like a baby. I am not sure what kind of hawk it was. In Georgia we have a lot of red tailed hawks, but it did not look quite like one of those. I couldn¢t see the coloring on its feathers to help with identification; I only saw its underbelly. Later in the day there was a big long climb up to Kelly¢s Knob. I saw Camo and Okie up there. I had met them way back at Uncle Johnny¢s Nolichucky Hostel in Erwin, TN. The knob had fantastic views! I sat up on the craggy, southern portion of it and had a snack. Okie¢s actual name is Kelly Keller, and my last name is Kelly, so we joked about that while sitting up there on our knob.Laurel Creek Shelter was less than 2 miles from the knob, but I passed it by deciding to push a little over 2 more miles to a campsite. It was a good evening for hiking, and I also really wanted to make sure I get up to McAfee Knob, an iconic viewing point on the trail, on Sunday while the weather is still good. A few more miles today would help with that goal. I filtered water past the shelter and brought extra with me. Lately we have had some longer stretches between water sources, and I knew the campsite did not have water. Just around the bend from Laurel Creek I spooked a white-tailed deer, which bounded away across the trail and into a rhodo thicket. After climbing through a pine forest, the trail lush and cushy with needles, I went through several beautiful pastures. I saw three rabbits feeding in one, but they hopped away before I could get a picture. The sun low in the sky over the pasture was just gorgeous! I climbed the last pasture, entered the tree line and my camp site was right there, affording me a sunset view over the meadow while I cooked and set up camp. It was a lovely evening! I decided to get up earlier tomorrow, so I even pre dug a cat hole for the morning! It is supposed to get down to 28 tonight, but it sure doesn¢t feel like it will at the moment!I am so grateful for the gorgeous weather today, with a high of about 55. It was perfect hiking weather! I am grateful for the awesome woodland creatures I saw today, as well as the even keel day of solo hiking that I had. I can¢t wait for tomorrow!Postscript:#1 Thanks Kevin Nary! You are right - I¢m pretty sure it was a Goldfinch. Good luck on your hike SOBO!!!