Date: 2005-03-19
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Wessler, NC
Miles today: 11.4

Cold Spring Shelter (122.4) to Wesser, NC, NOC (133.8)Chino and another young man stayed at the shelter and we talked a lot about the world situation. Chino and I are conservative and the young man is a liberal, Bush hater and Michael Moore lover. He does not understand how biased Michael Moore is. But the young man is only 19. Last night Chino, I and Uncle Bob were at Cold Springs Shelter, both are doing journals online. Go to trailjournals.com and look for Uncle Bob or Chino.We are in the bags by 6:30 but we talked until 8:30. Why are we doing the AT. What do we expect to get out of it. Chino, religious and other reasons but he is not pushy about religion. Both Chino and I have shared our literal dream of future events and philosophies of life with Uncle Bob. I told about my string theory of life and we all told about our lives. Uncle Bob at age 49 quit a telephone company job to do this and Chino, age 48, retired form the Air Force not to just do the AT but others hikes as well. It was great to have adult conversation. I did tell them my werewolf story and the devil story. After a while, I suggested that Uncle Bob put on his journal that he had slept between two lunatics that night. I got up early and out at 6:30 (2 days in a row). At 29 degrees it was a warm night, we had a tarp across the front which made it pretty good inside. I snored like a lumberjack according to the other guys. I arrived here at Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Wesser, NC about 12:25. Lots of difficult climbs and some nasty descents too. The kind where you look and think ¢How do I get up/down this¢. I took a picture of one from the bottom then turned and took a picture the other way. Two sections of the trail had collapsed and there were detours.   One was just long, the other so difficult I could only do most of it and had to get back on the trail sooner than I should have. I replaced my gloves and got some help with my stove along with day food, candy and nuts. Also did laundry, had dinner at the restaurant, and got a cabin for overnight. NOC is a well run place. The river is beautiful. We need to come back here to kayak.I am planning on getting to the Fontana Dam in 3 days. Fontana is about 39 miles and the first 6.9 miles to the shelter is mostly a climb. I would be happy making the shelter at Sassafras Gap. North Carolina does love its rocks, ledges and ridges. Most of the trail had a long drop off on at least one side and the trail is frequently no more than a foot wide. Doing an overnight at NOC. I have a two bedroom cabin by myself. I am not advertising that I got the luxury digs; living room, kitchen and deck too. Planning on leaving early Sunday morning. I am doing laundry as I write this. Boy did I and my clothes stink..stink..stink.Blackbird was a writer from the Military Times who quit his job to hike. He has an email computer unit. I saw him before Franklin and at Franklin and Wesser. He knows someone who found an Olympus camera chip. I will check my camera. Might be mine.   I saw Darryl and Jo from Stover Creek Shelter. They are here too. No television here, evidently there is no reception. The ¢hiker community¢ seems to keep track of each other and watch out, etc. You keep running into the same people. The Nahantala River is awesome and beautiful. The usual part of the river that is kayaked is class II/III. It would be a spectacular trip especially for a group of us like Sue and Vinnie etc. Of course I would want our own boats and gear.   There is a 20 years old kid that arrived here from Springer in 7 days .. almost 20 miles per day .. damn 20 year olds. Damn long legged trail bastards too .. able to do steps and rocks with a single stride. My height and short legs are making things more difficult. I am observing Crackers Commandment #2 ¢¦ nobody gets hurt. I am being very careful everywhere and especially at difficult spots. NOC had me in their computer because I get their kayaking catalog, along with two other Bruce Grahams. The campsuds do a pretty good job as a shampoo. A little drying, but not bad. I have started putting the tent, north face raintop, stuff bags, thermo rest and EMS 4 way stretch top at the foot of the bag to take up space. It seems to keep my feet warmer. There have been stories of ¢trail magic¢, free apples and oranges, free Pepsi and beer, free chili, steak, bread, potatoes, corn on the cob dinners at some shelters or road crossings. I have been a day ahead of all of them.