Date: 2004-05-06
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Awe on Clingman's Dome
Miles today: 10.8

Another tough night in the shelter. Two people were snoring loudly. A mouse gnawed at a backpack¢not mine thank goodness. When it was really late, something, possibly a mouse, brushed against the top of my head. I cursed the mice out loud and sat up. The marine sleeping beside me asked about the mice. I whispered to him that they ran along the back wall where our heads were facing. Hearing this, the young man reversed his position so that his head faced the front of the shelter. I stayed put because the front position would expose me to greater decibels of snoring. Oh yeah, when I walked outside to take a leak, a deer cut across my line of vision, sending a jolt of adrenaline through my system.I left camp at first light and ascended Clingman's Dome with the intention of fulfilling my promise to offer a prayer for the woman stricken with cancer. Off in the distance, the hollows were covered with silky white plumes of mist. What a beautiful sight.At around 7:15 a.m., I climbed the observation tower on the summit. The elevation is 6,643 feet, the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. There was no view whatsoever, just a thick grey slate punctuated by the naked tops of some nearby trees below.I knelt down with my backpack still on my shoulders and faced the grey mist.In the Roman Catholic faith, it is appropriate to pray to the deceased, sometimes a saint, and request an intercession. Accordingly, I offered a prayer to Mother Teresa (not a saint yet) on behalf of Mrs. Stiles, the wife of Reverend Ernest Stiles back at the Fontana Community Church. My words were impromptu. I prayed for a remission of her cancer, and if that was not possible, than for the repose of her soul.Then I stood up, shrugged off my backpack, and took out an oatmeal breakfast square. I thought it would be fitting to offer a sacrifice as a token of sincerity. I would forgo that food item during my breakfast. I symbolically held the oatmeal square up toward the mist. At that exact moment, something incredible occurred. Directly in my view, a flock of blackbirds¢25 or so¢punched through the grey veneer. They whirled around in a counter clockwise rotation, forming an oval shape. They were making bird calls. And then, almost instantly, they were swallowed up by the cloud. The whole episode lasted around three seconds.I was stunned by the sight. Better said, I was awed. Was it a coincidence that at the exact moment I had lifted the oatmeal bar, the flock of birds had appeared? Or was something else going on? It was a scene that will forever remain etched in my memory.I descended the mountain in a state of wonderment, passing through stands of fir trees. On the ground, fallen trunks were being consumed by moss. The conditions reminded me of Maine.Several hours later, I reached Newfound Gap. There, I hitched a ride to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to resupply. Two women named Niki and Cher drove me fifteen miles to the town. They were car touring around the country with a couple of dogs. During the ride into town, they took out a video recorder and asked me to share some thoughts. I told about my experiences on the trail.Here in Gatlinburg, I picked up my food shipment and discovered that a plastic bottle of honey had leaked the sticky stuff over much of the contents. What a mess.