Date: 2009-04-04
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I actually got some sleep last night! I was worried at first, because the man sleeping next to me started snoring very loudly immediately after settling into his sleeping bag, but luckily, the intensity dropped during the night. I was the third person to arise after one of the section hikers and Graybeard, at about quarter after 7. I changed and went outside to make some oatmeal. Unfortunately, due to the cold and the fact that someone was watching me, I struggled to light my stove. The section hiker lent me his big lighter and then came back with a tube of Vaseline for primer, but I could not get it to light! He eventually lit it for me... It was cold out, but the sun had come out and the day held a new promise. Texas Chill came out of the shelter and asked me what I was having for breakfast. He took off around 8:30, as I headed down the hill to collect more water. By the time I had purified it and packed up all of my belongings, it was after 9:30! Graybeard was headed south to Mollies Ridge Shelter and as he said goodbye to me, he pointed to his temple and told me to make it to Maine.      The first thing I did after reaching the AT, was go back to the grassy field to see what it looked like in the light. Then, I proceeded north. It did not take long before I came to a beautiful vista. I pulled out my phone to check for service as I had none at the shelter. I wanted to ask Erik if he could bring me certain things for our stay in Gatlinburg. Luckily, I was able to reach him and he said he was just compiling a list! Poppins came along and asked if I could take a picture of him. Then, Sir Richard appeared! He said everyone at his shelter woke at the crack of dawn, so he got an early start. It was now 10:00 and I had just begun my hike! The next mile was filled with gorgeous views, culminating in the stunning panaroma of Rocky Top Mountain. I joined Monkey Wrench and we were later met by Sir Richard, Poppins, and two local hikers, one of whom serenaded us with his version of the song 'Rocky Top'. We basked in the beauty and the sun, took pictures of each other, and ate an 'unscheduled' snack (according to Sir Richard), and then, at sometime after 11, we got down to business. I was the first to start out and I kept a good distance ahead. Finally, I got too hot and had to strip off some layers. Richard and Monkey Wrench passed me and said they would see me at lunch at the next shelter. The terrain was filled with more ups and downs than I had expected. There were also several downed trees across the trail, one of which required me to take my pack off to get over (otherwise, I would have been tossed over with the force on my back!) I got so tired at one point and reached into my hipbelt pocket for a nut or power bar, only to find that I had already eaten them all! I almost took off my pack and dug into my foodbag to get out another one, but I'm glad I didn't because the shelter was only yards away up the hill! I saw Sir Richard, Monkey Wrench, and two other guys, and while I paused to take a picture and collect my energy, I heard Obie's voice. I joined them and ate a packet of salmon on a tortilla, and then Richard and I went down the hill to fetch more water for the second half of the day. Monkey Wrench took off first, followed by me. For the rest of the afternoon, my thoughts were consumed with my pace calculations and whether I could keep it up, and my worries about everything I forgot to tell Erik to bring me... Everytime I checked for reception, I had none... As I stepped aside for Richard to pass, with my camera out, he asked what I was about to photograph. "A little flower...""oh, that's so cute..."I finally made it to Silers Bald Shelter a little before 5. There were a couple of men there who were clearly not thru-hikers. There was also a ranger there who gave me a weather report (storm coming tomorrow afternoon, followed by highs in the 30s and teens at night on Monday and Tuesday and then snow). I told him I was going to Gatlinburg tomorrow and he thought that was good. After Richard asked me how I was doing and I answered that I was tired and struggling, he told me that he wasn't looking at his watch at all as he hiked, that he had no concept of how many miles he had been hiking, and that he was just wrapped up in his thoughts, which made the time go by faster. This was something I needed to try doing as well...   I had about 1.7 miles to get to the next shelter, and I took it slow and easy. I saw an early moon on top of Silers Bald and many pretty views along the way to Double Spring Gap Shelter. Obie passed me on Silers Bald and when I arrived at the shelter, Texas Chill was sitting outside, already having eaten his dinner and hung his bear bag. "I thought you would have been here a long time ago" he said. "Why?" I wondered."Because you hike fast.""How do you know? You're always ahead of me!""I've heard.."(Funny...)It was a beautiful night, and we sat under the shelter awning with our dinners and were entertained by the bantering of two local hikers, who had planned to stay at Silers Bald shelter, but who couldn't stand to spend the night in the presence of the ranger, who had already written up a hiker for throwing foil into the firepit. Hillbilly Bob (or something to that effect) couldn't stop talking about how he had to get away from Ranger Bob. "That's not right, man... When he pulled out that radio, I was like, 'I gotta get out- a -here!' " He was a 50 year old man, who had been roaming these mountains since he was 6 years old, and was having a tough time with all of the recent rules being imposed upon him. His favorite time of year to climb the mountains is January and February when no one else is around. He knew a lot about the animal and plant species in the mountains, and I wish I had asked him for a lesson. We were also entertained by three deer, who did not seem to mind our presence.   Obie, Texas Chill, and I all slept on the top berth of the shelter and I almost wanted to say,"Let's have a slumber party, guys!" It felt kind of fun for some reason. But Obie went to sleep before I even finished journaling, and Texas Chill soon followed and there was no talking, laughing, dreaming, or scheming. Now the mice... they had a fun party for themselves..