Date: 2016-04-09
From: North Carolina

To: Plum Orchard
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Saturday - April 9thAfter a good night and a good night sleep off we go into North Carolina. The propriator of TOG was right. Off in the distance you could see the North Carolina mountains. What a view with expansive valleys and mountain lakes surrounded by mountain tops everywhere. As beautful as they were they were also daunting and scary. I knew that within a day I would have to climb those peaks and I questioned my strength to be successful. I was already sweating and exhaused only hours into the hike and knew that I had eight mroe miles until I would stop for the day. I some how got lucky and ran into the group I first connected with on day one including Commissioner, Stink Mouse, McGruber, etc. AS I druged along, I began to think about what I packed as the weight seemed like a ton on my back. I was carrying Riley's food and other items and fully loaded with food and water was coming in around 38 pounds. When I started thse seemed so easy and light yet now was beginning to feel unbearable and undoable. I questioned everything I packed and began a mental list of what wsa really needed to survive and succeed and what was simply convience or unnessary. The first item to go would be that 2 pound solar charger I was carrying. AS phone coverage was spotty at best and usually non exisitant, I figured I would recharge my phone on an off day and everyone would have to wait to hear from me until then. The list kept growing as I hike on in pain and suffering. I wold have paid dearly to come across a massage chair to ease they pain in my next ansd shoulders along with a good craft beer. If only dreamscame true.I caught up with a man named Joel in his mid 60s and realized he was struggling far more than me. Somehow I got strenght from his suffering and pretended this was just hike rather than an ordeal. We chatted for a few minutes about our plans for where to stop for the night and I then moved on.My mental spirit picked up after that meeting and I began more reflections on things like (1) Is there really a god (2) what is family (3) what is really important, and (4) what does it really mean to be a man, a good man and a good person. My brain began to focus that this hike would hopefully become my guide to grow up into manhood so I am now naming this hike the "Trail to Manhood". Hopefully I will get those answers in about 2184 miles minus the ones behind me.I reached the Plumorchard Shelter just short of the North Carolina boarder and decided it was already 3:30 and getting to the next one four miles down the trail would not get me there before 5 which wsa my daily target to ensure I could set up and eat before darkness set in. This was one of the best shelters I have seen so far and Georgia ensured we left their great state in style. A three level strucure built and delivered by U.S. Army Rangers who train in the area with carving showing it being dropped in by a Chinook helicopter. After serving with Army folks in my miltary career, I toasted them knowing they were just a good and professional I was was in the Air Force. Although I will never admit it to them and will always make fun when I can, I realized that regardless of the uniform, they are all professional and all great people. My hat off the U.S. Army Rangers.Lucky for me many of the group I connected with were already at the shelter and set up for the night. I was expecting both Dr. Longfellow and Sassy to come along as well. They were the two that stayed with me at Neels Gap to help our Riley, something that I will always be greatful for. They did not show up and I feared I would never see them again.On the other hand, a woman that was at the TOG Hostel arrived. I have reservations when I first met her and those reservations got stronger my the second as she opened her mouth. Regardless who said anything she alway had a "better" story or version and let everyone know it. According to her her children are all geniuses, had every ailment known to mankind and she cured everything, etc. It was non stop and insessant. She left for a few minutes and I turned to the group and asked them if they read the book or say the movie "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. Without saying another workd everyone laughed know what I was referring to - that annoying girl he and Katz spent days trying to ditch. I wondered if this is now the same person jsut grown up and producing more annoying people. I am sure that Bill Bryson and Steven Katz would chuckle with that thougt.A night approached it seemed another cold night was in store. I could see wisk of what is called Mares Tails and a high thin layer of cirus clouds filling the sky. I decided to provide my own weather forecast that an approaching system was in our future within the next 24-28 hours. We went to sleep already shivering at temps began to plunge into the twenties before morning arrived.