Date: 2005-05-09
From: Laural Falls Shelter

To: Mile 430.9
Miles today: 19.7

Up and gone by 7:30 am. Mice were everywhere last night. It may have been only a few but, they sounded like they were everywhere. Since I was the only one in the shelter, those little buggers had me in their sights as their primary target. They kept buzzing by my head time and time again. That is until I released a barrage of hand sized rocks towards their direction. I was wondering what all those rocks were doing in the shelter in the first place, now I know why.... ammunition.   As I wrote before I was up on top of Pond Flats in no time looking down on to beautiful Lake Wautauga. As I worked my way down towards the lake, Rambling Man and Corporal came from behind and eventually passed me by. This was a father and son team. Rambling Man was on his second AT thru-hike (Class of 04). This was his son's first. They planned on only doing a section of the trail, Springer to Damascus but, they changed their mind and did the whole thing together. I do not know when they finished the AT, I just know for certain that they did. Always the observer I noted their equipment. I was going to enter Damascus soon and I had all intentions of going as light as I could. Two things they were doing that indeed I was going to copy. First of all I was switching to trekking poles. Trekking poles give you rhythm, rhythm in part gives you miles. The other was to wear short gators at all times, not just when there was "Trail Snot" on the trail (slush, mud, snow, etc). Gators kept the rocks out of the trail runners and helped keep the socks free of dirt (this made the socks easier to rinse out). Trail runners would have to be considered a third thing I plagiarized from them, I just did not know it at the time.    When I came to the next road a local woman stopped in her car to see if I was lost. I told her I was fine and thanked her for stopping. In kind I told her she had a tail light out. I figured one good turn deserves another. She then told me how the ATC was strong arming her in to selling her property by way of "Imminent Domain" (or is it eminent ?). I know there are two sides to the story however, she gives the ATC a clear "right of way" through her property. I felt sorry for her with mixed feelings. For one I know the trail comes at a cost. Imminent Domain was something that made the trail possible in the first place, for the good of all others (except the property owner). I sympathized with her because the same thing happened to my family during the turn of the century, 105+ years ago. New York City wanted to build the Delaware Aqueduct in the Catskills and forced my folks off of their property. Oh a fair price was paid for it at the time however, could you imagine what that property would be worth today. How can you put a price on inheritance. I wished her luck.   I moved along the shore of the lake and stopped in for lunch at the Wautauga lake Shelter. Blue Angel and Cloth Monkey caught up to me and we hiked for a bit together.   They stopped at the Vandeventer Shelter along with many others, I continued on. Something told me to move on. The shelter was packed by now and though there was such a beautiful vista, that old itch kept me going (I wanted solitude). Unfortunately however, every camp site I came to had someone camping there. I was indeed getting close to Damascus. I wound up doing my biggest day as of yet. It was getting dark so I stopped near an open field where I met Spoon Man, Newman and Lizard. Three great people who I hiked with for a while as the trail went on. There must have been 20 people there I did not know. I sat around the fire and just listened to the other hikers. Spoon man was one hiker I wanted to get to know, and I did. He was a cool dude.