Date: 2013-05-02
From: Road Prong Trail parking lot

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 12.1

I had breakfast with No Name, Smiles and F.S.at a local BBQ place, 50 breakfast items on the menu AYCE (all you can eat) woo hoo! Keeping in mind that I don't hike well out of towns if I overeat I was careful to eat lots of fruit and one plate of eggs. I went back to the Grand Prix and packed up my pack said good bye to my roomate, Steamer. F.S. and I walked to the edge of town and hitched a ride with a local fellow named Ben. Ben had an uncle that had hiked the AT twice as a section hiker, meaning he'd take a couple weeks of vacation each year and do parts of the trail. Ben had been mountain biking down from the zip line area this morning. He said his wife gave him the day off to go "play". He was very interested in our Journey. Ben dropped FS off at the Newfound Gap parking area and then dropped me off a couple more miles up the road at the Pronger Trail parking area. I thanked him for his kindness and dubbed him a "trail angel".Down in Gaitlinburg it was quite warm so I was dressed lightly in a tee and shorts. But up in the mountains at over 5,000 feet elevationz(5,283 feet) it was misty and chilly. I got hiking about 12 noon moving fast to warm up and catch up FS.I stopped to talk to two sisters from Morgantown WV who were hiking part of the trail. This trail is heavily hiked by day hikers up to Charles Bunion. Cheryl and Rebecca (Becky to her friends) were resting and eating when I came upon them. They asked all the usual AT questions, where you from, how long, when you gonna finish. I enjoyed chatting and informing them about the trail.I found FS waiting for me at the Icewater Spring Shelter. I had a cup of tea and some protein bars and chatted with a Ridge Runner, Billy Jones. He informed me a fellow died in this shelter, this past January. He was 50 years old and two hikers discovered him dead here, possibly of a heart attack. The Ridge Runner also told me that the class of 2013 thru hikers has been one of the most "trashiest" thru hikers. Especially the March hikers that left all kinds of trash along the trail and at shelters. I have seen evidence of many clothes discarded and trash at most shelters. I pick up some trash apparently some thru hikers are not familiar with LNT practices, pack in and pack out your trash.Iain (FS) and I went on to the famous Charles Bunion rocks where most hikers take a photo. The view is indescribable, the whole valley opens up in a panaromic view. The rocks are thousands of feet above the valley below, I am not exactly the mountain goat on the rocks and looking down, well I don't have vertigo but I don't feel all that comfortable. The sign posted on the Charles Bunion trail says, "Control Your Children". If you don't well one misstep and your child is gone. See the photos for this date.I leap frogged with a couple Dale "JD" and Brenda "Slips" and enjoyed chatting with them off and on during the day. FS took a break and we continued on. Around 5:00 PM the winds picked up and it looked like rain coming in from the east while the west looked sunny. Slips said it looked like a battle of light versus dark. There were many ridge walks on the so called knifes edge where if you werent careful you'd fall many feet. I tried to take pictures to capture the ridge walks but you really have to experience it. I walked fast hoping to beat the rain if it was coming. I saw evidence of a military plane crash which has been around a long while. I did take pictures of it. The day had some climbs but was mostly down, okay it was up and down then up and down. However, the walking was easier than most days. I rolled in to Pecks Corner Shelter at almost 8 PM. Set up my bed, ate, washed, changed into my clothes for bed. There was a full house in the shelter. FS had left some licorice in his pack and the mice attacked it over night even though the pack was hung high I am still smilin'