Date: 2015-04-22
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: kate Gap Campsite
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: few clouds

Last night it rained. When it rains and I'm in my tent and nature calls in the middle of the night, I have a big freezer bag trick someone told me about. Except I couldn't find a big freezer bag, just a smaller ziplock bag- with a hole in it. I noticed right away and was jumping around trying to find something to clean up the (small) mess and grabbed my thick hiking sock. My reasoning- It can't possibly smell any worse. So there is a guy on the trail called Proudfoot. I'm PeeFoot. I know, TMI- but I am trying to be accurate and real about life on the trail. These annoying things can happen out here and you kinda just roll with it. Next morning C. Shell asked what the heck was going on in my tent. With all of the moving around and moving my air mattress she said D.No said it sounded like I was making balloon animals in there! An unglamorous moment in my life. Fortunately, the rain ceased around 4am, so when we got up at 7 our tents were dry. When they are wet it adds quite a bit of weight.We hit the trail early and had a nice walk- not too difficult, but the day started with a 4-5 mile steady climb with a couple of relief downs and flats. It was extremely windy. I was excited because today was the day we would cross amazing Max Patch- called the Jewel of the AT. About a mile before Max Patch, there was trail magic in the form of hotdogs and chocolate ice cream where the trail crossed a dirt road. We were surprised, since it was a weekday, but really happy. I ate two hot dogs, played fetch with the adorable fetch addicted dachshund, and had a bowl of delicious chocolate ice cream. We bundled up in layers while were stopped because it was extremely windy and cold. Another guy was setting up to feed hikers when the hot dog people, Katrina and Andy, were finished-he had chicken and burgers and beer. He was a multiple AT thru hiker named Onesimus and he lived in a camper and drove around doing trail magic because he loves hikers he said. After stuffing ourselves, we hiked the last mile into Max Patch. It was even more beautiful and fabulous than I had heard it described. 360 views, soft green grass for acres and acres, rolling hills with forest then mountains framing the famous bald. Such and oddity, these North Carolina Balds, but so beautiful and interesting. If it had not been so cold and windy I would have stayed much longer. I took a picture of a young mom holding her daughter on her lap, just looking at the view together, while big brother went running down the steep hill. His name was Jack and his mom kept telling him to be careful so he wouldn't break his crown. Why a great way to spend an afternoon with your young children. The rest of the day was easy, flat and down. We passed Walnut Mountain Shelter and camped about a mile beyond at Kate Gap, a little campsite where I made my first all by myself fire. C.Shell suggested I use pine cones to get it going- holy cow- they ignite! Scrap the plans for the retirement home made out of pinecones. A southbound guy completing his very last section of the AT joined our little camp and he amazed us with his stories. We are trying to get to Hot Springs by 3 or 4 on Friday because a good friend in Asheville is putting us up over the weekend. We are going to hit up REI while we are there.