Date: 2005-04-13
From: North of Rock Gap

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: light rain

What a beautiful but cold morning that was. I even slipped on the insulated underwear that night even though I was using a +20 bag. Only three miles to US 64 and then I planned on hitching a ride to town. Tal and Indy Andy (Bear) were at the trail head when I got there. They passed me when I was packing my gear. The only thing wet from last evenings heavy rain once again was the tent.    I soon developed the habit of putting my hiking staff and later my trekking poles under the rain fly of the tent for the night. Those killer porcupines have been known to eat the parts where your hands make contact with, they are after the salt from your sweat. I hoped this would prevent that from happening. A unique thing I have noticed, I awoke each morning at the first sounds the birds made in the morning, there were a lot of them (thus far). I used my alarm only a few times over the entire trail. Whenever asked what time I would wake up on the trail I would simply answer, "At bird chirp thirty".    Once at the trail head we started hitching and quickly noticed a van drop off hikers at the other side of the road. We watched as the van pulled away, looped around and stopped in front of us. Magic you ask? Not quite, the gentleman driving, a great guy, was offering a free ride to his hotel and asked us to climb aboard. Darn if I cannot remember the man's name but I do want to say it was Ronnie (another result of those darn 70's). He was a former Pro Wrestler who owned and operated the "Haven Hotel". Tal, Indy and I shared a room there at $15.00 a piece. It was within walking distance of a "All you can eat buffet", a hiker feeding trough. Got to warn you about these places. Imagine eating ten pounds of food and then trying to hike out of town. This plus the town weight (all you purchased) in your backpack makes a heavier load.    Inexperience leads you to buy to much food for the trail. Plus the water weight, you don't walk up the trail, you kind of waddle. It was a common thing to us all to make such a mistake. I remember my friend Romer placed a entry in one Shelter Log saying, "I did it to myself again, why do I do that"? She was so right, I can remember walking through the stores just putting stuff in my cart, why?... Because I could! Ben & Jerries ice cream, a box of doughnuts, a cooked chicken, I mean a whole chicken! FOOD!!!! and was I ever glad to get it. I would eat it all then carry out one perishable (something that spoils quick) and eat it within the first half of the day. Eventually when I went super lite with equipment (minimalistic attitude for sure), I stopped doing that. For that time period earlier on it was one of those, "Hey I got a good idea ideas". Flexability once again, adjust to the situation.    This is also where I started realizing I was carrying out to much extra stuff. To much food? No such thing just yet. That became evident later when I left Fontana Damn and entered the Smokies. My wife Brenda asked me later, are you carrying anything at all, you mailed home so much". She was right, I mailed home a lot of things. If I didn't use it, it was gone! More on that as I go along. The three of us staying together at the hotel and everyone else there dried out our gear at the same time in the parking lot. It looked like a flea market. It was obvious that the sun was only going to be out for a little while, the clouds were coming in. By then it was about beer thirty and we did our best to finish what we purchased. Seems hikers do the same with beer as they do with food. In the beginning there always was enough beer left in the hotel fridge to start another party. We all got "smart" on that as well. Gluttony.... not just a sin but a thru-hiker reality. WB