Date: 2003-08-28
From: Antlers Campsite

To: White House Landing Wilderness Camp
Miles today: 4.1

"I do not ask to walk smooth paths nor bear an easy load. I pray for strength and fortitude to climb the rock strewn road. Give me such courage and I can scale the hardest peaks alone and transform every stumbling block into a stepping stone."      Gale Brook BurkettWoke up to the sound of the wind as the sun rose to my right. Mustered the strength to unzip my rainfly as the sun poked over the trees. Beautiful!- a slow start after a chily night but a wonderful morning. Made water for coffee and ate a bowl of Captain Crunch. Gathered a few of my remaining snacks for lunch. Slowly packed up as both groups of guys headed out of camp. I left a few moments after 9. Enjoyed the suns warmth through the gusty 20 mph winds. It was a cool morning and perfect hiking weather. My left heel has been bothering me - not a blister, just abrasions from wet socks and boots. I didn"t cover it up so it was a little painful. Hiked slowly and enjoyed the day. Within 45 minutes I made it to lower Jo Mary Lake beach where Chloe and I enjoyed the sun and water. Didn't swim but got our feet wet. Sat in the sun snacking and just enjoying the incredible view of the lake. A few planes flew over, one was the type that land on the lake. neat. After an hour or so we made our way up and over Potaywadjo Mountain to the lean-to. LL Bean maintains this shelter and it was very nice. Excellent spring. Read the register as Crow and Ranger Rick showed up. they knew i was ahead of them and someone told them they would bump into me. Glad I met them. Ranger Rick is notorius for starting from Springer with an 85 lb pack! He's now down to 30 lbs and doing great. We all were headed to White House Landing for burgers and beds plus a much desired hot shower. Got to the dock around 1:45 and sounded the horn. Within 20 minutes Bill brought the boat over and picked us up. We checked into our respective quarters and began to relax. I'm in the bunk house with several others including 2 guys from last night. There are roughly 15 people here. It is wonderful. It's an old sporting camp. Linda, Bill and their 6 yr old son Ben live here year round. WHL is 25 miles on lumber roads to the nearest town. Pretty remote from any sort of civilization. There are canoes, a neat dock, horse shoe pit and a fun group of people. I'm looking forward to spending the day here. There is no electricity or phone. Lights and hot water are powered by propane. Bill and Linda use a cell phone. They live very simply and provide much needed respite after 70 miles of wilderness. They serve dinner from 4 to 6. The menu is burgers or pizza. I must say the deluxe burger is 3/4 lbs with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. It's served with chips and cucumbers from the garden. It is by far, the best burger on the trail. The pizza looks good too! Maybe tomorrow. For breakfast, all you can eat, it'll be eggs, bacon, homefries, toast and blueberry pancakes-yum! After dinner I played cribbage with Bareback. He had to teach me and being the horible card player I am, he whooped my butt! Interesting little game. Maybe we'll play tomorrow. He's zeroing too! I knew he looked familiar. I asked if he had a diferent trailname and he did. It seems that Strider, Chrysalis and I had originally named him Prince Albert. We met at the shelter just after Albert Mountain and he went up and down the firetower 4 times all because he left his camera then his case up top. So we named him Prince Albert. That stuck until he realized Prince Albert is also the name of a male body piercing! so, he became Bareback. Good idea! I wouldnt want to be known as Nipple Ring! Healer is also here. He's a fascinating guy born in Iran. He was once an airline pilot until he lost his vision. Now he's a chiropractor. He suffers from MS and says he has no problems with tingling. He manages it with diet and a lot of exercise. Check out his website at msfactor.org. After dinner he came up to the bunkhouse and offered free adjustments. He's trying to do 250 before he finishes. I was number 199. He losened my neck and shoulders and helped my knee out. He said I have a good range of mobility and my problem with my right knee is simply psychological. He also said my surgery was a great success! When he was done he sugested I drink licorice tea and lime juice. I need to clear out my lymph system. When I last saw him in North Carolina at NOC, he showed me some exercises, relaxation and breathing exercises or yoga. So I'm going to meet him at 6 am near the water to do some more! Hopefully, I can get up by then.Tomorrow it's laundry in an old wringer type washer, then hang them in the sun, sort my food and drop box, eat a pizza and ice cream then just chill by the lake. Theres a slight chance of an afternoon shower but other than that it looks like a good day!   ps, Chloe is ravenous! peace and positivity,Molasses