Date: 2004-04-16
From: Campsite up the trail

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: few clouds

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS! I Love You!After a very chilly night, I braved the cold air and hit the trail by 9:00. It didn't take long to warm up, necessitating a brief stop to shed the warm clothes. During the stop the inevitable happened: I got a trail name! Dennis (B-Dub) passed me and told me I reminded him of a swan. Knowing that swans can get really hissy if you get too close, I had to ask what he saw as the resemblance. "Tall, slender, and elegant." Wow! How sweet and so complimentary. I've never considered myself as such, but if I do possess even a hint of elegance, and if I'm able to exude a touch of elegance out here, well then, I certainly believe in miracles! Most times I feel more like the Ugly Duckling. I tried it on for size throughout the day and all seem to like it. Sure beats out the contenders: Crippled Tortoise, Cockeyed Optimist, Minnesota Smiles. I was humming Saint-Saens all day long. Yeppers, it feels good, so -- the Swan I am. Once again we were blessed with the perfect hiking day. The longest climb took us to Wesser Bald at 4630'. A fire tower stands atop the peak and gifted us with yet another 360-degree panoramic view of this extraordinary mountain range. In the far distance we could see Cheoah Bald at 5062'. That climb should greet me first thing Sunday morning.Leslie/Eric, Hippie and SunDog continued on another five miles to the next shelter. The NOC serves a mountrous legendary breakfast and I believe they want to be first in line in the morning. I was tempted but my knee started screaming on this last .8 mile. I do believe 11.1 miles is plenty for today. I only hope I didn't screw it up bigtime again.Hikers are really starting to talk gear choices now. Several tried on my pack yesterday and liked it. I've also had many inquiries about my tent.I carry a Mystery Ranch pack: The Works, Rhythm. Dana of Dana Designs retired from his company, was out in the woods and dreamt up another design. So he returned to the backpack world and created Mystery Ranch. I purchased mine a couple years ago, one of the first in this new line. Since then he's made many changes but I still love mine. It is unique in the fact that the suspension or harness is a separate entity. Once the harness is adjusted to one's body, the bag is then added. Thus, there exists the capability to change bags without changing the entire backpack. (I started with the Blue and switched to the Rhythm for this hike.) The pack is fatter and squattier than tall and skinny, allowing most of the weight to sit lower in the pack resting on the hips, which is preferable. In addition, there's not a huge compartment riding behind one's head, thus allowing the hiker to tip the head back to look upward. I've been asked the capacity and weight and, of course, I can't tell because I don't remember. Once I made my purchase and was pleased, I promptly forgot those details. I've too much clutter in my brain to retain numeric trivia. Sorry folks -- look it up on the web!Supper tonight was spaghetti, my favorite dish. I've already filtered water for tomorrow and have my Home Sweet Home laid out in preparation for retiring in an hour or so. B-Dub, Morningstar/Phoenix, Puck Finn, Denise, and Mike are sharing this evening with me. Life is still good, my outlook is still positive, and I still carry the intent to hike the entire trail ... "God willin' and the crick don't rise" ... and my knee doesn't blow out completely!! G'nite from the Swan.