Date: 2010-02-20
From: Wayah Gap, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

A house must be built on solid foundations if it is to last. The same principle applies to man, otherwise he too will sink back into the soft ground and becomes swallowed up by the world of illusion.                                     - Sai Baba Once more Ronny drove me back to Wayah Gap, but this time I turned my face north and resumed my walk Maine-ward.Again, the day was sunny and pleasant. I trudged my way up and up crossing Forest Service roads on my way to Wayah Bald. The food bag in my pack weighed me down. How is it that just "a few things" purchased at a grocery store could weigh *so* much? I mean, really. I hadn't gotten all that much, but here I was wondering if Fahmah had slipped some rocks into my pack as a joke, when I knew it was just too many impulse purchases.On the way up, I met a group of "weekenders" coming down. We chatted for a bit and went on our separate ways.While the trudge up was tiring - isn't it always? - I ran into real problems after I passed Wine Spring. On the north slope the snow was quite deep. But that wasn't the worst of it.The sun had rotted the snow out. In some places when I took a step the snow would compact only a couple of inches, in other places a foot. And sometimes when I took a step my leg would disappear entirely into the wet, soggy snow. While it was a lot of work to slog through the snow, the worst was not knowing how the snow would react until actually putting my full weight onto it. Sometimes the snow would collapse in such a way as to send me skidding onto my knees, pinned down by my pack. Sometimes it would rock me back so I would lose my balance and fall backwards onto my side.Once, the snow dropped out from under my foot until I was suspended only by my crotch in the snow - my straightened right leg swallowed entirely by the soggy drift, and my bent left leg, knee downward jammed in hip deep. My hiking poles were jammed into the snow to the handles and still there was no solid contact. At one point there was a blowdown I needed to negotiate. It had fallen across the trail, and I worked my way to the high side where the step over wouldn't be as high. As I swung my left leg over the 6-inch diameter log, the snow under my right foot gave way. Fortunately I had gotten my leg over in time. I sat on the log and shifted my weight to the left to try to free my right leg from the soggy snow. And my left leg sank and had no support. I was now straddling the log with nothing firm on which I could put my weight to lever myself around. With the pack on my back, I didn't want to simply tumble off the log even though the fall was not very far. I was afraid that the pack would simply sink through the drift, dragging me with it. I eventually used the log like a balance beam and slipped and slithered my way off.Amusing at first, this required so much effort it wasn't fun for long. After what seemed a looong time, I came to the top of Wayah Bald. The view was wonderful, and I tried to shoot a video clip of it. We'll see if the tech staff at home can get it inserted in this entry.I didn't linger too long as time was passing, and I still needed to make miles. I continued on as the sun dropped. I dropped into Burningtown Gap and on up the other side. The shaddows of the trees lengthened in the golden light as I wound up and around. Tucked back in a cove was the shelter I sought - Cold Spring Shelter. It was almost dark when I arrived. There was enough light that I was able to locate the water source (right in front of the shelter) and the bear cables for hanging food. I set about to work on camp chores such as dinner and setting out my sleeping bag. Even after the sun set, there was light in the little clearing. The moon was almost at first quarter and sent down enough light that I could do many of the tasks without using my headlamp.I went to hang my food bag to discover that, as at Big Spring Shelter, while the horizontal line was intact, there was no way to use the pulleys. Ends of cords hung down uselessly way over my head. No diagonal pulls were available.I spent 30 minutes trying to get my own line up over the cable. In the end, I got the line up, but the end got snarled with the other cords there above my head. Useless. I finally kept the food in the shelter with me and hoped for the best.The night was much warmer than the last time I slept in a shelter. I slept much better as a result.(The Tech Staff will have to work on the video clip and will add it to another post.)