Date: 2016-03-20
From: 19E

To: Vango/Abby Memorial Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After yesterday's short day to get out of the rain I had another "nice and easy" 12ish mile slack pack back to the hostel. Since I had plenty of time I decided to take a lot of photos today and enjoy the nice weather. I even took the .2 milet side trail to see some falls. Typically I do not take side trails but today I did. The falls were worth the additional .4 miles on the blue blaze.I have often thought that it would be nice to have a place to sit and relax for a few minutes along the trail to enjoy more of the senior views. To add to my previous comments on Scott - when he was giving me directions on how to get back to the hostel from the trail ( which I should have paid more attention to!!!) He said there was a trail by a bench, "one of the only benches he'said aware of along the AT." I then recall him saying something about a foot bridge with a hand rail and a blue blazed trail... what I missed was before crossing The foot bridge across the Uper Laurel Fork there is a blue blazed trail to the Left as you go north and the blue blaze follows the creek. If you go over the bridge you have gone too far! In hindsight, the bench comment sucked in my attention! What a great idea... and when I came upon the bench it was situated along the side of the trail facing a magnificent open view! (Photos to be added when able)About the time I reached the bench I noticed the weather had turned significantly colder and what looked like snow/frozen rain was falling. It ended up being a mixture of snow and freezing rain for which I was VERY thankful that it was cold enough to be frozen. A few degrees warmer and I would have been soaked. I picked up my ace to get back to the hostel as it was just about .8 miles from the bench. I reached the footbridge in record time but didn't "see" the blue blazed trail to the left just BEFORE going across the bridge. (as I found out later... the blue blaze was obscured by a rhotadendran hanging from the weight of the snow)Once across the bridge I had unknowingly already GONE TOO FAR!!! (Isn't there a movie-A bridge too far???) I continued on searching for the blue blaze for .4 miles according to gut hook before turning back. The .4 miles seemed like a coincidence considering that was how far I had gone to see the water fall. Was someone sending me a coded message? (Coded message decoded: you can walk/choose to walk .4 miles out of your way to see a water fall or you can choose to not pay attention to directions and end up walking .4 miles out of your way only to turn around and walk .4 back!) Yeah... I know.... it isn't an either or situation as you can as I did "do both!" But the point is what would you rather do? And for the philosophy majors out there... yeah being on the trail gives you plenty of time to let your mind wonder... and I DO realize it was walking the .4 back and forth that created the comparison to raise the value of the .4 side trip to the falls... and that without having the comparison I might not have appreciated the .4 mile side trip to the falls... AND for the non philosophy majors out there... sorry AND it is simply better to walk .4 miles to see a water fall than to walk .4 miles X2 cause you made a mistake in navigation!On that I'll end with: "Happy Trails!!!"