Date: 2007-03-26
From: Stealth Site Before Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

March 26, Bears and Foot BathsWoke up at 7:15 a.m. to 50 degrees in my tent. I got right to business getting ready. We left camp at 9:15 and started climbing up Standing Indian Mtn. It was a really gradual incline and we made it up pretty quick. Then we got slowed down...We needed to get water and Wingfoot told us to go the wrong way. Poor Michele, she had offered to get the water for both of us. After about 20 minutes of her not coming back, I told Sailor I was going to check on her. I started hiking down the blue blaze trail and hiking and hiking. Finally I saw Michele - empty water bottles, a log as a hiking stick, hiking up the trail. WRONG WAY! So, we climbed back to the AT and I went down the right trail to fetch some water. Whew. Back in business, Certain and I headed up to the summit to check out the view on top of the mountain. It was amazing, just amazing. We were above the clouds looking out onto the mountains. The clouds were moving past me and I just stood there to take it all in. It was grand. I had my head in the clouds! We had lunch at Beech Gap with the intention of soaking our feet in the stream - to no avail. The stream was too shallow and too murky. We pressed on after our lunch and about a mile later we came to Kilby Creek, an amazing creek that we had to cross anyway. We took our shoes off and dashed into the water. We sat there for a while just soaking it all in. The water numbed the pain in our feet and Certain and I both left feeling energized for the rest of our day. It's really amazing what a quick cold soak will do for the feet. I thought this would be the most exciting part of our day but that came later.We leapfrogged with Sailor all day. The trail was kind and the hills were very gentle. This was our first double-digit day and it was a perfect trail to do it on. We met Totally Different Subject today - nice guy, hiked with Not Guilty in '05. Also met a few section hikers.So, on our hike went and we were almost to our day's destination. We were coming down off of the last mountain of the day when I looked up and something caught my eye. It looked like one of the trees had two large black holes in them at the top. I kept looking at it the way you look at all black objects in these woods - wondering if I misjudged and these really were bears - the way fallen trees cast shadows that look like bears. The way rocks look like bears. Well, these were not holes in the trees. These were two baby bear cubs - so sweet, so cuddly. I wanted to go snuggle up to one of them. But where was the mama? If there's one thing that stands out in the mind of anyone out here, it's not to get between a mama and her cubs because she will defend. I called out to Michele to stop - BEARS! We stood there looking for the mama. Nothing. So we snapped pictures, looked for mama, and snapped more pictures. We stood there for a good 20 minutes, backing up and adjusting our position when necessary. We watched the baby cubs inch their way down the tree, one of them falling off, and make their way over to another tree to climb. They tried calling out to their mother but she never came. One section hiker passed under the tree where they were and we soon followed. We talked and sang and banged our poles the whole rest of the way to camp. No one ever saw mama.When we got to camp, Not Guilty said he had seen them at 3 p.m. and there was no mama then either. Sad for them, not bad for us.Anyway, our first double-digit day went well. My feet are pretty tired but other than that I feel okay. I actually feel really well and I had a lot of energy throughout the day. It was pretty easy terrain though. We'll see what happens next time.I am ready for bed - or sleeping bag. It was a pretty exciting day and I'm glad it all worked the way it did. Night.- Sound of something creeping around outside of my tent, Sailor snoring. Post Trail Thoughts:For some reason, I remember not being very scared about seeing the bears and wondering where the mother was. It felt more like a little cartoon at the time as we sang and danced our way by the cute little cubs. Surreal.