Date: 2006-03-26
From: Siler Bald shelter

To: Wesser bald shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

We were up and out of the shelter by 7am. We said goodbye to Neffa, a trio from Michigan section hiking and Slap Happy - a former thru hiker heading south. Thanks for all the great advice Slap Happy!The thing about the Siler Bald shelter is that it's half a mile off the AT. So as we headed out, we had a 1/2 mile climb just to get back to the trail! Coyotebec was having a tough morning. Later that day she told me "I was cold, my legs hurt, I was aggravated - and I was walking uphill just to get back to the AT". We were walking through a lot of snow all morning. It looked like Colorado on a ski trip - the snow was piled up everywhere. We managed to get over the top of Wayah Bald by around 11. We decided to push on since it was so cold and so much snow everywhere. We got a bite of snack and headed downhill. We kept walking till around 1:30 when we reached the Cold Spring Shelter - which was supposed to be our stopping point for the day. We had already put in 12 miles, but the shelter looked cold, wet and miserable. It didn't take long to decide to keep hiking and try for the next shelter. It would make for an 18-mile day - our longest yet. But when it¢s this cold, you either have to keep walking or get in your sleeping bag.We finally made it to Tellico gap (2.5 from the shelter) and gave Matt a call on our cell phone. It was kind of cool - as he said "I want to talk to my parents about it" the second we called (he was thinking about some school stuff.After that short break, we climbed Wesser bald and headed down to the shelter. Arrived around 4:30. Pi, Teddy Ruxpin, Bearbell, and Shenanigans were there which pretty much filled up the shelter so we pitched our tarp. They got a fire going which was very welcome.We both got pretty cold this night. At about 2am, I had to get up and adjust our pads as we had slid down the hill some and we were freezing. It got down close to 20. We've decided to have our Tarptent sent to us for the Smokies in case of more snow. Then we'll switch back to our tarp later in the trip.more tomorrow...From CoyotebecWoke fairly early and ate breakfast of granola and dry milk - a new favorite. I was feeling weak in body and spirit this morning. I don't know what it is - PMS maybe? I just didn't see how I was going to make it 12 miles to the shelter. John prayed for us and we made it by 1PM. Too early and I then felt pretty good - my morning funk had worn off, so we moved on. The next shelter was almost 6 miles. We were tired but arrived at 4:30 - the shelter was full, but it looked drafty anyway. We set up our tarp and tryed zipping our bags together * But on second thought, I was worried about getting cold, so we separated the bags. This was my hardest night yet. My hips were hurting and I was cold. John heard me moaning and came to my rescue. He put some extra air in my pad and situated my gray pad lower so I would have it under my feet. Then the best, he snuggled close. I slept so well after that. He's my hero! It got down to 23 degrees again. I am a little worried about the Smokies.Oh, on a side note - earlier today, we stopped on a mountain to call Matt about sending up Gortex shoes for the Smokies. The phone rang just as he was saying to Rebecca - "I really want to talk to my parents about this." I think he is frustrated with school. We have been praying for him, and I see this interchange as an answered prayer.