Date: 2009-04-21
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: broken clouds

Awoke to yet more rain. I am convinced that I am personally responsible for the ending of the drought in the Southeast U.S. Still, the springs are running full, and the streams are full, so hydration is not a problem.Last night there was a fella at the shelter going by the name of "Chicago Bear." A somewhat interesting but quirky guy, but woefully unprepared for the hike he has undertaken. He left his jacket at home. He left his sleeping pad at home. He had no stove, and we had to boil water for him. Not sure how far he is going, but he needs more help than a couple of novice hikers like Moonlight and myself.Anyhow, with the rain, and with a short hike to Nantahala, neighter Moonlight nor I were interesting in getting out early. We both slept in the shelter last night, as all our tent gear was wet. Anyhow we were out by 9:00 a.m.Now for my adventure today. First I must preface by saying that everyone slips and falls on the trail, particularly when it is wet and when the rocks, and the omnipresent roots are slippery, and wet leaves cover the trail. Remember, we've had 3 straight days of rain. After walking a half hour or so, Moonlight and already slipped and fallen on his fanny once, and I was congratulating myself on how athletic I was in keeping my balance. After Wesser Bald, we reached a point where the drop was almost straight down. If 360 degrees is straight up, 90 degrees is horizontal, and 180 degrees is straight down, we were at a point where the down was approximately 165 degrees. Suddenly, and with no warning, the dirt under my right foot and under my right poll just gave way. My foot had been 6 inches from the ledge, but the trail just gave way. I did not slip, the ground was just too saturated and gave way. I reached out and grasped at the branch of a hanging laural tree, but that snapped off in my hand and over the ledge I went. I tumbled, face first, about 30-35 feet, stopping only when my head hit a medium sized tulip poplar! There I was, dazed and fallen down a ledge, and Moonlight was yelling "Don't Move! Don't Move!" This struck me as silly,'cause of course I wouldn't move until I gathered my stuff which was by that time scattered around me. Then I felt my head and found blood running. That's when I decided to slow down and compose myself. Turns out I was not hurt, no broken bones and the cut over my eye was insignificant. But had I not hit the tree, I would have fallen almost immediately over a sheer cliff for another 50 feet or more, and almost certainly ended my trail adventure.   Moonlight tossed me a couple lines, and helped pull me up to the trail. I sat and Moonlight asked me silly questions to make sure I didn't have a concussion. I then did the multiplication tables to make double sure I was thinking clearly, and did fine until I got the the 7X table, but that always gave me trouble anyhow, so I figured no head damage. I then had to climb back down 15 feet or so to retrieve one of my hiking polls, which had decided not to make the complete fall with me. Anyhow, after about 45 minutes we were off again, and, frankly, it's great to be alive.We reached the Nantahala Outdoor Center just before noon. Moonlight contacted his friends Don and Tammy, who have offered to house and feed us for the night at their cabin near Whittier. Don was principal at the school where Moonlight taught for 30+ years, and have been lifelong friends. They proved absolutely wonderful hosts, and treated me as a friend as well. I am blown away at how gracious and giving they are, and how genuinely fond they are of Moonlight. We bought pizza for lunch in Bryson City, bought beer at a micro-brewery and fudge at a candy store in Silva, and grilled fabulous steaks. We had a steam bath and sauna at Don's health club. I'm now cleaner than I've been in more than 2 weeks, and look forward to sleeping in a real bed with clean sheets. God, life is good!!A quick word about Moonlight. He's become my traveling partner and a good friend. We are the same age, the same general level of fitness, and have the same level of camping skills. A recently retired teacher from Michigan, he is a constituent of Rep. Mike Rogers, who was my last subcommittee chairman on the House Intelligence Committee. We have similar attitudes toward life, and continue to enjoy one another's company. It's important to develop friendships, and Moonlight has become one for me. I do think he helped keep me from being seriously injured during my fall today, and I am deeply appreciative. Oh, one more quick word. I'm now down 18 lbs since the start of the hike.