Date: 2006-04-10
From: Hot Springs/ Duckett House

To: Spring Mountain Shelter, NC
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: 0

Cell good.Wildlife: Blacksnake 2 feet longToday was an excellent day for a hike. The morning started a little cool but it wasn¢t what I would call cold.We started with breakfast at the town diner. Eggs, bacon, grits, and biscuits. We then went to the Post Office to mail home some excess equipment. I sent home my floppy hat, radio, and excess small items.We hiked out of town around 8:45am. I don¢t know if I mentioned it before, the main street in town is actually the Appalachian Trail. We crossed the river and immediately went down stairs that brought us to the river's edge. We walked about a quarter mile before starting a climb up the mountain wall next to the river. It turned and switched back and forth until we reached the top.Most of the hike was either climbing or going down hill. There was one tricky part that my son Chris had read about on another Trail Journal, thanks for the heads up! It helped us be more cautious and not make the same mistake.This shelter is small but we could have stayed in it as we were an early arrival. We chose to tent and found two nice places to pitch our tents.I had a nice phone call with Sue tonight, the weekend was difficult communicating as there was no cell reception in town. Pay phones were scarce and far from where I stayed. When I did call they were short calls, that is why I enjoyed tonight's call.Goodnight.Old GoatSue's Note: I, too, really enjoyed tonight's call - it's wonderful to connect with Old Goat, and we chatted about many interesting AT tidbits you may enjoy.One interesting tidbit is that Old Goat said he finds one of the hardest parts of the AT is stairs. Huh? Well, for those not familiar with hiking the AT, the stairs aren't "normal" stairs - they're built out of stones...different sizes of stones. Each step ranges from 12" to 15" high and no two are the same...in comparison to "normal" stairs that are consistently about 7 1/2" and all the same size in a staircase.We talked about some of the trail names...fun stuff! We went down the list of Journals and Old Goat identified a couple of the people whom he has met "Free at Last" is one. He also recently retired and is hiking his dream. "Patches" is someone Die Hard knows - so I gave Old Goat an update of where Patches is so he can pass that on to Die Hard.Others we talked about either don't have Journals, or I couldn't find them. Today he was with "Snapper," "Lush," "Glow Worm," and "Sumo." "Sumo" got his name from a ripped rain suit. Early on the trail his rain suit pants ripped at the crotch. He took duct tape and taped the crotch and around the waist - ending up looking like a Sumo wrestler's loin cloth, therefore, "Sumo." He seems to be having fun with the name - puts a cute drawing of a small Sumo wrestler in the shelter log when he signs in."Glow Worm" got his trail name from a fluorescent colored waterproof sack that goes over his sleeping bag. When he sleeps with that sack over his sleeping bag, he looks like a glow worm on the ground. I love hearing how people get their trail names."Posie Picker" is another guy Old Goat has gotten to know (I don't know how he got the name). Posie Picker has hiked the AT 4 or 5 times!! He makes specialty furniture that is processed in such a way that when it gets to a certain point it has to "set" for 6 months and Posie Picker hikes the AT! Then he goes home and finishes it. Cool!! Hearing of people that hike the AT multiple times gives me hope that Old Goat and I may hike the trail together sometime. :-)Thinking of AT names - we have a niece who hiked the AT a few years ago. Her AT name was "Baadai." She says "hi!" to anyone who remembers her and she's wondering if any of her friends are hiking the AT this year. She's wishing she was on the AT now - I'm sure it gets in your blood for those who are part of the special AT community!