Date: 2010-04-07
From: Wine Spring campsite

To: Cold Spring shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

07 April 2010, Cold Spring Shelter   During the night last night we had a few incidences. The first was Ben (Hoppers dog). He had his first experience with and owl last night. When the owl started hooting Ben barked a couple times but Hooper calmed him down. The next incident was a commotion over at Dry Cleans hammock. I could not here what was being said but it sounded like he was talking to someone. When I talked to Dry Clean this morning he said that a hiker came in the middle of the night last night and was getting water from the water source near where is was sleeping and he called out to the hiker in casual conversation and asked his name. He said the hiker acted irritated and yelled back at him "why doesn't everyone just leave me alone". The hiker finished getting his water and left. Later on in the hike we found out that this was Jay Bird.   If it had been by me and someone had done that to me in the night I would have freak me out and I probably would not have been able to go back to sleep.   Dry Clean's Osprey backpack had a broken stay in it and I had a piece of ball point pen that I helped him fix it with for a temporary fix. He was going to try to make it to the outfitters at NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) to see if they could help him.   As we were hiking up Wayah Bald today, just before the old tower we ran into a horde of wild pigs, our guess was that there were about a dozen of them. They ran off in the woods so we did not have time to count them or get a photo.   We stopped at Wayah Bald for the usual thru hiker photos and for a break. While we were there Hopper spent some time to scatter her husbands ashes.   The day went really well. We ran into trail magic at Burningtown Gap and to our surprise there was trail magic being put on by Grits and Possum, Grits thru hiked last year (2009).    I have my hammock all set up for the night. I was contemplating sleeping in the shelter because of the rain coming in tonight. I decided against it because it looks like a mouse haven. The shelter floor is only six inches off the ground and the inside has chewed up acorns all around the edges.   Fog (a thru hiker) rolled into the shelter a little while ago and took off his left sock, his ankle is all swollen. It looks just like Gipc Girl¢s ankle did back in Hiawassee. He said he was coming down of Wayah Bald today and he heard it snap twice. That would have concerned me. I have a feeling he is not going to be walking well tomorrow morning. I hope it does not swell up like Gipc Girl¢s did because if it does he will not be able to get his shoe back on.   Ben, Hoppers dog walked up to another hiker by the name of Fog this afternoon in the shelter and grab a sandwich right out of his hand and ate it. The hiker was not very happy about it.   There was another dog here tonight. I was supposed to be watching Ben while Hopper was in the privy. Ben was on his leash and another other dog came running down from up in the campsite area and Ben took off after her and yanked the leash right out of my hand. Ben has never done anything like this before. They were running around the tents in the tent area and the leash that was still attached to Ben and it pulled one tent down, which was the owner of the female dog that Ben was chasing. We think that the female dog was heat and that was why Ben did this. Ben is not a very well behaved dog.   Later on in the evening and hiker named Jay Bird wondering in to get water and moved on. He seemed a little awkward but we kept to ourselves. At this time we still did not realize that he was the one that was at Dry Cleans hammock the other night.   There has been a grouse beating its wings off in the distance since we arrived here at the shelter.   Tonight in the shelter are Hopper, Ben, Fog, Zoe, Adam, and Hillbilly.