Date: 2005-03-26
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Rock Gap (the Keely residence)
Miles today: 8.5

3.26.05Day 137:10am Last night, shortly after all of the headlamps were dimmed forthe evening, the owls began serenading us. An eery sound, the echoing'Who cooks for you?' emanating from the darkness. And this morning,the cheery voices of the birds pulled me out of slumber. Or was isthe aroma of coffee percolating from Weatherman's tent? Ahhh, nothinglike a piping hot cuppa coffee on a chilly morning. It went well w/my oatmeal, which was, as usual, de-licious. Actually, we're holdingout hope for some trail magic; rumor has it that there's anestablished canopy tent, where magic has been dispensed for the pastseveral weeks. Just before Albert Mountain, so it'll be great to fuelup prior to scaling that behemouth. It seems that camp has beenbroken, so it's time to depart. Long day today, but it's already aglorious one. More later...11:45am Albert has been conquered! Up, up, and over that big guy. Actually, it was surprisingly, dare I say, fun, those rock scrambles. And somehow, it seemed shorter than it did last year. Maybe it wasthe unparalleled-ly phenomenal trail magic at the base of themountain, dispensed by Barry and Terri, the former proprietors ofRainbow Springs Campground. We had heard the rumors yesterday, butwere mistakenly told to expect it at Mooney Gap. So, when we reachedthat locale, we all suffered a mild disappointment, but, we tried tobe philosophical about it. Then, just as the firetower atop Albertcame into view, Cuppa Joe spotted a tent amidst the rhododendrons. Voices were heard, chatting happily. Luscious aromas assailed ourfinely-tuned noses. (Finely-tuned to anything not reeking ofhiker funk.) We tromp along a short side-trail, and wander into anoasis beyond the realm of hallucination. A giant tarp serves as aroof over the most unbelievable woods kitchen imaginable. A firecrackles merrily underneath the most innovative stove -- an oldlogging saw blade, perhaps 4 feet in diameter, the teeth filed down,suspended form a teepee-tripod of rebar, serving as the cookingplatform, w/ several pots bubbling away. Barry and Terri invited usto drop our packs, grab our cups, pour ourselves a cup of freshly-(and expertly-) brewed coffee, pull up a chair, and sit awhile. Weunhesitatingly complied. Barry lifted the lid on one of the pots --chock full of simmering black beans and corn. The other sported rice.The table was arrayed w/ jalapenos, onions, grated cheese, andhomemade salsa. We toasted up some tortillas on the axe-bladegriddle, and had ourselves the most delicious, the tastiest, the mostscrum-diddlie-umptious burritos EVER. Ahhh.... It was sooo good. Aswere the three cups of coffee I quaffed. Good fuel for the ascent,all that caffeine. Whew. I was supa-charged. But man, they startedtalkin' about beer-for-stay, if we chopped firewood, and what was ontap for dinner... Oh, the zero-day strings were being tugged. Hard. If CJ or Break had said just one word, I'da stayed in a heartbeat. (Weatherman was already ensconced in a chair, talkin' business w/Terri.) But, no one spoke up, and so we pushed on, pulled ourselvesaway from that magical vortex. CJ and I hoofed our packs over Albert,but Break and Weatherman stashed theirs on the blue-blaze bypass, tospare their painful joints some extra pressure. (Break, this morningafter her first tumble, mentioned that her knees were fine, itwas her ankle that buckled. I said, 'Well, you only have so manyjoints in the human body...' To which Weatherman piped in, 'Yeah, butI've got 5 more in my pocket.') So, while they were retrieving theirpacks, CJ and I refined our plans for the day. We decided toabbreviate today's hike, getting off at Rock Gap rather than WindingStair Gap, a savings of 3.5 miles (and a helluva climb out of WallaceGap). No complaints from anybody about that option. So, on toFranklin we go...2:15pm Cuppa Joe has joined me in the ranks of the one-poled hikers. Just as we prepared to climb Albert, he slipped on some dry leaves(which are surprisingly slippery), tripped over a rotten stump, did abackflip, and slid down into a ravine and out of sight. I think,collectively, our hearts stopped beating. But then, we hear a faint,'I'm okay'. The ravine, fortunately, was only 3 feet deep, andcovered w/ a blanket of leaves, so CJs fall was cradled in this littlecavity. But, his Leki pole also fell victim, much as mine did. Another upcoming phone call to ol' Leki. Hiking w/ one poledefinitely requires an adjustment in my walking rhythm; my one arm issomewhat at a loss over what to do w/ itself. But, going up Albert, Iactually preferred only the one pole; it left my other hand free tograb on to convenient trees and handholds to heave myself up. Thesame trees that a thousand other hands have grasped before me, wearingthe bark of the tree shiny and smooth. But, I'm definitely replacingmy busted pole.Just another example of the fluidity of life on the trail. Our plans,already recently revised, have changed once again. Trail magicstrikes twice in one day. The Chocolate Bandito (aka Swiss Miss,GA-MA '04) generously offered up her (parents') house for an overnightstay / laundry / shower / general clean-up. So, instead of headinginto Winding Stair Gap and hitching into Franklin, we're going to RockGap and heading the opposite direction, to Hayesville.