Date: 2015-04-30
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I wore, in no particular order: long pants, long sleeve hiking shirt, fleece second layer; shorts and short sleeves (very briefly) ; long pants etc with hat, mittens, buff; long pants etc with full rain suit (and mittens because my hands get cold when they are wet). Also very briefly. And I changed in and out of the second layer fleece at least five times. Wind, no wind, sun, no sun, clouds or not, it was all over the place. But! It hardly rained during the hike so there's that. Makes me almost willing to overlook the fact that it had to rain exactly the 10 minutes it took to set up my tent. By the way, setting up the tent usually takes less than 5 minutes but I didn't do such a great job picking a stealth site and the stakes did not want to go in. I guess that's what happens when you are trying to pick the only level surface around because it was actually a gravel road once. When we started out this morning (with a brownie and tea, I could easily adopt that as my breakfast for the rest of the hike. Or the rest of my life, for that matter), we weren't entirely sure where we'd end up. The next shelter was too close (10 miles) and the one after that too far (20 miles) and there was no real Goldilocks option. There was a camp site at 13 and change and that was our tentative goal, but Cherokee and I both thought we might hike on a little further. So now we are at about 15 miles out, leaving us with 11 to get into Erwin tomorrow.Yesterday we ate the last of the sardines (mmmmm sardines) because our guide said there'd be trash cans at Sam's gap, 2.4 miles in. But no dice and so Cherokee still carries the stinky can. After the trash-can less gap (where there was trail magic last Sunday and will be again tomorrow. Timing is everything!) there was a long climb up to aptly named Big Bald. You could see it as you were climbing and it looked intimidatingly high and like it might have some views. Did it ever! Just like Max Patch (also a bald, can't beat those true balds for views) but it looked a little less manicured. And a lot cloudier. Still got some good pictures though (I think) before heading down the looooooong downhill towards, ultimately, the town of Erwin. There are some bumps of course, or it wouldn't be the AT, but overall it is down till we get to town. And after being on one of the balds, you can't help but sing Sound of Music songs, btw.The knee was less cranky today, possibly because I discovered yesterday that it works better if I walk with the affected leg turned out. Like a ballerina. Or a duck, depending on how elegantly you think I walk around. Yesterday Cherokee mentioned something about 'if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck...' I think there is an insult in there somewhere! The feet are still sore but at least I don't have new aches and pains to report. And I am still hopeful that new shoes will set me straight. Oh, I wouldn't want to leave out lunch, since it was one of my favorites yet: crackers and prosciutto. The prosciutto was the kind that is vacuum sealed and doesn't need refrigeration until you open it, and that of course is easily fixed by eating the whole thing in one sitting. Dried apples for dessert and Tang to wash it down (hey, don't knock it till you try it!). And there may have been some baileys with dinner. Nope, still not suffering! Between the care packages and the brownies, this has been the best stretch food wise, so far!I had decided early on that I wasn't going to put mail drop locations on here for security reasons, but o have decided that with the daily updates an the map, that train left the station anyway. So when I have wifi again, I'll put some possible mail drop locations up for anybody who wants to send me chocolate! And, last but not least, a brag! Today as I was having lunch, fellow trail journalist two step walked by and said he knew my name was Airlock and that I have the best journal because of the map! Gary, you're famous! Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?