Date: 2004-04-29
From: Lake Watauga Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: clear sky

Today was again beautiful, and my longest day yet. Though long, the terain was generally easy. I hiked with Pegasus and Krispy off and on all day on a day full of perks and surprises.   I started the day in a religious discussion with Pooja Blue, Pegasus, and Padre (A Lutheran Minister) at the shelter. I ssemed to be the only one who sees the Bible as litteral truth, although I believe it is often misconstrued (Padre obviously sees it as very importnant none the less). As I talked I realized how unacceptable seeing God as the center of my life is to most people in this modern era. We talked about women in the bible and the oft misunderstood "wives submit to your husbands verse". I tried to explain that the following verse says for men to "love your wives as Christ loved the church (died for it)", which is at least as equally strong if not stronger challenge. Eventually I just let discussion fade. I just hope that someday I will be in a relationship where myself and my wife love each other and God so much that we are willing to sacrifice for each other. I don't think a marriage should feel like a master and a submissive follower, that is not what the bible describes. ANYWAY.....By 10 AM I joined Krispy Kritter and Pegasus on the trail.   As we began by the lake I was amazed by more awesome flowers. I saw a Fire Pink, a gorgeous bright reddish-pink flower. I also saw Wild Delphinium (a deep purple flower), Miami Mist (a small light purple flower) and Crested Dwarf Iris. Crested Dwarf Iris is a bluish-purple flower with 3 large petals highlighted by white and yellow, with 3 smaller blue purple petals interspersed between the larger colored petals. WOW! I also saw False Solomon's Seal and more Bleeding Heart.   If anyone finds my flower lists boring I'm sorry, but I love the flowers. After 2 miles I crossed the damn and took a fair pace up the mountain. I hiked with Krispy and we looked at the flowers. I taught him what some things were. We also talked about his wife visiting. He is really excited to see her, but also wants to not lose our group. I was trying to help him plan. As we stared at the flowers, we saw Rue Anenome, Wood Anenome for the 1st time (white and purple), and more Wild Oats. I was so proud to identify the flowers without anyone elses help. I really enjoy hiking and talking with Krispy. He's a 54 yr. old ex-fire fighter and has a dry sense of humor. By 12:40ish we arrived at Vandiventure Shelter along with Pegasus. We had lunch on a beautiful rock cropping with an amazing view of the valley below just behind the shelter.   An interesting gentleman at the shelter, "LARRY", was relaxing and joined us for lunch.He had a wood saw in his pocket and was missing a few teeth. At first I was reminded of a character from "Deliverance".In reality what he lacked in teeth he made up for in kindness. "LARRY" gave us all Zinfandel Red Wine. I was caught off guard as he pulled out a screw together plastic wine glass.He lit up a smoke (not cigarettes) and then gave me a ham n cheese sandwich. It was so cool to have wine on the trail, it was a nice reminder of civilization and really made our afternoon.   By 1:30 PM we were set to head out. Krispy mildly pulled a leg muscle on a rock and I bumped my head (still bruised) on the shelter ceiling. I still hold that the shelters were designed for Hobbits. In retrospect, maybe we should be careful mixing wine and hiking. The next 7 miles were really a breeze. I hiked and prayed. God really blessed me and right as I was thanking him for the flowers I passed my favorite flower on the right: The Wake Robin Trillium. It was so sweet and I felt like it was a gift from God. As I prayed, I let go of a number of financial stresses waiting at home and I prayed for my family and friends. I was jsut singing and praying to God. I felt so close to hime and did not even notice the miles passing by. In addition I saw Trout Lillies (a pretty and intricate flower with yellow highlighted with purple), Bluets, and Early Meadow Rue. The more of his creation I see the more I appreciate my creator. Prayer was awesome and I know God has such a strong purpose for my life .   By 5:20 I arrived at Iron Mountain Shelter but within 10 minutes Krispy, Pegasus and I headed out.The terrain was so easy that we covered 3 miles an hour. I finished singing and praying and noticed more flowers. At 7 pm we reached "our section" of trail. AWe hiked through the trail we maintained and opened 2 days previous. It was so cool to know that we had been the ones to work on the section to make the new relocation complete. We were pumped to hike through it and took a fun and relaxing break in a field during our section. By 7:30 our break was over and we hiked to the shelter.    The hike to the shelter was easy and I was in by 8:30PM. I ate Jambalaya, shared some of my lemonade with Krispy, and now I'm huddled up for bed. The snoring in this shelter is RIDICULOUS! It sounds like a bad orchestra. One woman (unamed) sounds like she is currently making love...LOUDLY. Anyhow, I'm tired and can sleep through anything. Tomorrow I will rise early and hike an easy 18 miles into Damascus. First I'm going to read my bible and check off the flowers I've seen so far in my flower book. I love how God moves out here, I love the flowers, I love mynew friends, and I love my friends and family at home. I hope everyone has a goodnight tonight. God Bless, BEATBOX   ttt.