Date: 2014-04-27
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Burningtown Gap
Miles today: 10.4

Grits and freshly uncanned ham for brekkie, along with grits of course, there's a community coffee pot to wake us up too. We go looking for a trash can, there were rumors of one at this shelter, alas it's not too be and the ham can and some empty beer bottles go in the packs, hard to shed weight. It all takes a while and we get a late start, feeling a bit weary this morning.These Feet Hiked Up Siler BaldOnly a short jaunt up to Siler Bald, it's a very pretty spot with green grass growing all over, and the balds have amazing views in all directions with no trees to block.It's a long slow and tired climb up to the next bald, Wayah, it has a stone observation tower and some nice places to relax. There's a paved road leading to the tower and some trash cans to dump out the ham can and empty beer bottles, oh joy.Twinkle Toes and Thespian are there and we get into a discussion about the balds and what causes them in what is normally heavily forested woods, the joke becomes that they are well kept wilderness.View From Siler BaldFeeling very sluggish this day, even the small ups and downs are tiring, wasn't sure why at the time but as I write in December 2017 when the wisdom of hindsight, think it was my blocked coronary artery beginning to assert itself, shoulda listened to my body and maybe averted a heart attack just a few months later.It's 700' feet up from Burningtown Gap to the Cold Spring Shelter in a mile and half, not super steep by AT standards but gonna be a struggle at the end this particular day for sure, definitely not looking forward to it.Down into Burningtown Gap and there seems to be some activity there, as we get close we can see that yes, it's trail magic, there are 2 cars and a motor bike and lotsa folks setting up, they're former thru-hikers which is often the case with trail magic.Old Stone Tower on Wayah BaldThey have everything, draft beer (you read it right, a keg on a bucket of ice), wine, meade, whiskey, a BBQ for the burgers and dogs, and something to smoke of course.We help to get a fire going and indulge in a cupla beers, that settles the question of whether to stay or not, we can't make it up the hill with 2 beers under our bellies, not just any beer either, it's home made draft porter, really tasty.I eat a burger with chips and dips and they have some sweets too, what a treat! One of the guys gets a roll of toilet paper and heads off into the woods to dig a cat hole, he puts the toilet paper beside him and poops into the hole, and a dog runs up and grabs the toilet paper in it's teeth, great timing lol.Camping Out With Trail MagicThe owner is one of the former thru-hikers, she chases the dog around while the poor guy is stuck by his cat hole, the dog thinks this is some kinda game and runs around with the toilet paper in its teeth while the hapless guy sits by the cat hole, it takes about 15 minutes for the dog to be caught while the rest of us sit around just laughing and laughing.More folks arrive to partake of the merriment, Thespian and Twinkle Toes plus 2 more and they all decide to camp, 2 guys we'd seen up on the bald decide to push on to the next shelter.I end up getting vertigo from all the merriment, it goes away with closed eyes so collapse on a sleeping pad thinking I might just stay here all night, but it starts to rain so, being unable to walk, crawl off to the tent to crash.