Date: 2013-03-03
From: Stover Creek

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

When Hoosier and I stuck out heads out of our tents this morning at first light it was still snowing. We were the first ones to get going on the trail. It wasn't that we were in rush, we just wanted to get moving so that we would warm up. Izzie and her brothers were still smiling despite what they told us was a cold, mostly sleepless night. The only family member who slept well was the one who used Hoosier's sleeping bag liner. They said how thankful they were for it as they returned it in the morning. Hoosier thought about it for awhile, and then told me that Jesus wouldn't have let them just borrow it, he would have given it to them to keep. So he gave it to them to keep. (POST NOTE: The trail community talked a lot about Supermom and her children. No one seems to know for sure, but the consensus is that they stayed on the trail for about a week, making it several days past Neels Gap before returning home. This most certainly was the wisest course of action given the weather this March.) We had been hiking for about two hours when unexpectedly and suddenly Hoosier shouted, "Trail magic!" Just ahead, a local hiking club had driven up a two-track road into a mountain gap and set up a tarp shelter. They had two kerosene heaters going, chairs to sit on, and lots of food. They were super-friendly and encouraging. Each hiker got hugs, and they pushed food on us. Two coffees, a bowl of oatmeal, a doughnut, and two oatmeal cookies later, I left their company. I was feeling MUCH better. They had a thermometer. It registered 18 degrees. They told us the overnight low was 16 degrees. (POST NOTE: I will be using the term "Trail Magic" a lot in this journal. Trail Magic is anything good or beautiful or marvelous or unexpected that happens along the trail. Often it is associated with the offer of food to a hungry hiker.)As we headed down the trail Hoosier was hiking right behind me when he said, "Keep going. I'm going to sing a song for you." He sang;The sun comes upIt's a new day dawningIt's time to sing your song againWhatever may passAnd whatever lies before usMay we be singing when the evening comes.He taught me the words as we learned to sing it together. (POST NOTE: Every morning, without exception on the trail, we would sing this song together. Usually just the two of us, but sometimes with other hikers joining in,; like Joe the Hiker or Mot and Pumpkin Pie. Hoosier and I would end almost every day or hike by saying to each other, ¢still singing¢. And we were¢¦no matter what had come to pass that day.)When you see at the top of the page that we hiked 13 miles today I imagine that some might be thinking, "Just 13 miles?" I might have thought that if I was reading someone's journal while sitting in my home. This morning when we set out, I wouldn't have given the number 13 much respect. But when we were finished hiking, it had my attention and respect. With the cold wind, slick footing, and constant elevation changes, it was a challenging day. Trail miles with a backpack on, just can't be compared to miles walking along flat Michigan State Park trails while carrying nothing. There are about 30 thru-hikers at the shelter (or tenting around it) where we are tonight. We are again gathered around a smoky and meager fire and conversation is flowing nonstop. Everyone is very friendly...and cold. It feels even colder then it was last night. My body is holding up well. My knee feels great. This is fun...and cold.