Date: 2009-04-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 271.0

Dear readers,I'm sure you have all been anxiously awaiting an update from me since watching the weather reports and seeing the horrible storms that have passed through the Appalachian region the past few days. Well, you can relax, I'm alive. I know you worried. We hauled our little butts 18 miles into Hot Springs, NC yesterday, a day earlier than planned, to get out of the horrendous winter weather. Nobody told me snow shoes would be necessary on the AT in April. Two days ago we got hit with sub freezing temps, snow, and high winds. It was the day we were crossing Max Patch Bald. We were hoping to have beautiful weather for it in hopes of being able to camp on it. Well, that did not happen. Instead, Gangsta and I nearly lost our lives, as Mother Nature treated us like rag dolls. A fellow hiker estimated the winds to be about 60 mph on the summit. We couldn't see a thing, ice clung to our eye lashes, snot froze to our face, and it took all of our might to simply stay on our feet. It was impossible to even stay on the trail. Staying on the bald became the goal. I have never been in wind so strong I feared it could overpower me, until then. Luckily, I had Gangsta behind me, and each time I looked backed to check I was glad to see she was still there. I would have been scared to death alone. I talk about it as though it were near death, which during those 5 intense minutes crossing the summit it felt like it, but not quite near death enough to not whip out the camera and take some fantastic video footage! Too bad you can't post video on TJ. It's pretty great. We felt like climbers conquering Everest. Yes, it's true. I just compared Max Patch Bald to Mt. Everest. Maybe some day I can go back to Max Patch in nice weather and see what all the fuss is about. In fact, maybe I should just re-hike the first couple hundred miles some other summer to see all that I've missed.That night we huddled together in the shelter made of logs that, of course, had cracks in between each. Snow covered everything, water bottles froze solid, and someone was snoring, loudly. Oh, but the good news is Saint and Wind Up caught back up to us that night at the shelter! Woo hoo! That morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. 6+ inches of snow! Getting out of the sleeping bag that day was the most difficult thing I've had to do on the trail thus far, except for putting on my hiking shoes that were ice blocks. The entire shelter hiked out together that morning making sure nobody go lost in the snow covered trees, which made white blazes hard to spot. The first 5 miles we broke trail until we hit the next shelter. It was a grueling couple of hours. Water bottles were freezing, Camelback hoses were frozen, nobody wanted to stop to pump water, it was too cold to stop and eat, forget about pulling down your pants to relieve yourself. We did 18 miles straight, with hardly a rest, into Hot Springs, NC to rehydrate ourselves and stuff ourselves silly with good food. It was a bonding experience and I'm thankful to share it with everyone that I did. Like one of my favorite quotes goes, "True adventures are never fun when they are occuring." That 24 hr. period was one for the memory books, for sure. I came up with a poem in my head while hiking that day. Here is my favorite verse:Onward we trudgeWhat a beautiful sightA colorful ribbonAmidst of a forest of whiteCurrently, we are taking a very well-deserved zero day in Hot Springs. We caught back up with Hermes, too! The gang is back together again. We're staying at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn, a hostel which is a beautiful victorian house with tons of books, musical instruments, and antiques. I'm already looking forward to the wonderful vegetarian breakfast being served tomorrow. The weather forecast actually looks half decent for the next week! We were talking about it last night and we've had 16 days of horrible weather and 8 nice days since our hike began. Also, we've had crappy weather or fog for every single "high point" of the trail thus far. I simply don't count on having views or sunshine for any place that claims to have a 360 degree view. Maybe this week will surprise me though...Despite all that, life is still good. "Any day on the trail is better than a day at the office." Quitting has yet to cross my mind. Why quit when I'm building such a fantastic mental memory book/photo album!?!?! Only 24 hours later and I can already look back on the past two days fondly and do nothing but smile and laugh about what we went through. Time to go... next stop is Erwin, TN!Happy Trails,Sport <---- yes, I think that's the official trail name.