Date: 2004-04-05
From: US 52 (Big Walker Motel, Bland, VA)

To: Davis Farm Campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Little Wolf Creek3PM - Jenkins ShelterI plan to camp tonight about 3 mi away from and 1100' above this shelter. But since it is sunny and pleasant here, and I can see snow where I am going, I decided to stay here for a couple of hours to eat a hot meal and dry my shoes and sox (see below). And to begin to write my daily journal entry.I misspelled Alyssa's name yesterday. The Big Walker Motel where I stayed last night is not in Bland itself, but is over a half mile out of town, by the I-77 interchange. After breakfast at the DQ this AM, I tried to hitch into Bland, but got no takers and ended up walking. When I got to Bland I began to hitch on US 52 up to the trailhead. After 15 minutes without a ride, and beginning to get cold, I was getting discouraged, when a young man with fishing gear in the back of his pickup picked me up. Turns out he is the drummer in a local band, going to pick up some equipment from a fellow band member. Thanks drumming fisherman!At the trailhead I just finished re-tying my shoes and adjusting my pack when Alyssa appeared beside me as out of nowhere, like the Prince in The Little Prince. It seems that she lives in one of the houses next to the trailhead, and was on her way to the local school where she is in the third grade.The morning was in the twenties, but since the sky was clearing and the Trail was smooth and not too 'bumpy', I had an enjoyable walk and covered the 7 mi I was thinking of doing yesterday in under 3 hrs (I usually average around 2 mph on the trail, so this was fast for me.). So I could have easily walked the extra distance, but still think that stopping early in town was the right decision.About the time I reached the campsite I was thinking of for last night, I met three section hikers, Gorilla Jim 01, Big Foot and Avalanche. They had just finished the famous multiple crossings of Little Wolf Creek. Two said it was fun, the third thought it was too much. They all agreed I would get my boots wet. They were right.8PM - Davis Farm CampsiteThe first crossing I managed to get just the soles of my boots wet. The next got one shoe wet to the ankle, the next one foot to the top of the socks. From that point on I just waded in when necessary, but even then it could get tricky since there were some places up to my waist. In the end I'm glad I went up the creek rather than the high water route, which wouldn't have been any fun at all.While going up Little Wolf Creek, I met a boy scout troop out for a few-day hike. I also met NoBo, Rican, and his father, Jr. I also met Cricket, the Mystic Onion and Bones.I also saw my first snake, about 2' long, a greenish brown color with longitudinal stripes the same hue but a few shades lighter or brighter. He got out of my way as I approached, but did not go completely out of sight.This campsite is near the top of the rim of Burkes Garden, an oval depression in an otherwise mountainous area. There are three or four farms on the floor of the depression. There is snow just above the elevation where I am, and lots of snow on the other side of the valley, looking like it might be a ski area. I think I will get a better view tomorrow. Right now I am sitting in my tent listening to the wind blowing, and expecting to have a cold night.See you on down the TrailI have a math problem for fellow math master and cast member, Swishy Chrissy. (Anyone else welcome to try!)On the AT there are many crossings of Little Wolf Creek, and its tributaries (and of its tributaries' tributaries, but they are so small that they don't enter into this problem). It is often hard to tell whether a crossing is of Little Wolf itself or one of its tributaries.For the purposes of this problem, identify a crossing as a Right (R) crossing if the stream is flowing from the right as you are about to cross, and a Left (L) if it is flowing from the left. Now for the problem.As I was walking UP Little Wolf Creek valley, I made crossings in the following order: RLLRLRRRLLRRLLRLRL. The last crossing was a crossing of Little Wolf Creek. I know that because there was a sign there saying so. Now, a) which crossings were Little Wolf, and which were tributaries? b) How many times was Little Wolf crossed? c) In the end was I on the same side or the opposite side of the creek from where I started? d) Are your answers for b) and c) consistent? (Vacuous hint: of course.)(One other thing that you should know about the Little Wolf Creek valley stream system, it is dendritic, that is tree-like. In other words, no stream splits or in any other way forms islands. For you real math-heads out there, the graph if the stream system is planar, Euclidean and not homeomorphic to a section of a sphere in any dimension.)As is often the case for math problems, a good strategy is to divide and conquer. Here are two related but simpler problems:Before I started hiking up Little Wolf Creek, I hired two local 'experts' as guides. They both agreed that the Little Wolf Creek valley stream system satisfies all the conditions stated above. After the first three crossings, I asked them both how many times we had crossed Little Wolf Creek. The first guide said '3.'. The second said 'No! Only the first two.'. I fired them both. Why? (And why was that two problems?)------------------------------ Local access to Pocketmail mobilee-mail now available in Europe, NorthAmerica & Australia http://www.pocketmail.com