Date: 2005-04-05
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey Gap Campsite
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

4/5/05Spivey Gap Campsite15.8 MilesThis might be the most eventful day yet! After departing from Hogback Ridge Shelter at 8:15 (which is great considering the sun doesn¢t come up until after 7 now) we meandered down to Sam¢s Gap, where the AT intersects with Interstate 26. There waiting for us was Tom from Knoxville giving away some great trail magic. We arrived at the same time as Nick, Jay, Carissa, and Bill. It¢s great to get trail magic in groups because you can eat more and it¢s not all your fault when it¢s all gone. You can do some serious damage and pass it off on the group. This can never happen when you arrive at trail magic alone. Because the angel can monitor your magic consumption. This morning I ate 2 snickers bars, 2 apples, a fudge brownie, part of an orange, and some trail mix. He also had Lipton noodles, tuna, fuel, chicken, and individual packets of PB&J and Ranch dressing. The tuna and ranch burritos for lunch were a real treat. Thanks, Tom Thompson from Knoxville!From Sam¢s Gap we sauntered up the mountain for awhile until we arrived at Big Bald. Northeast Tennessee people have a way with naming things ¢Big....¢ There¢s Big Butt, Big Rock, and now Big Bald. And that¢s exactly what it is ¢ a huge bald 5500 feet above sea level with awe-striking view in 360-degree panoramic of NE TN and NW NC. From Big Bald we could see I-26, Johnson City, Cherokee Mountain, Buffalo Mountain, Mount Mitchell, and Roan Mountains, among others. We also had a great view of Wolf Laurel, an exclusive mountainside golf and ski condo complex that has destroyed an entire mountain with roads and houses. It¢s easy to complain as an AT thru-hiker, but if I owned a house in Wolf Laurel I guess I¢d be loving it. Beautiful country. I wish the poor could enjoy it the same as the rich.We left the Bald after a 2 hour sunbath with Nick, Steak ¢n¢ eggs (Stephen), Gravity & Danger, Kitty Litter, Loki, Skillet (Nathan), and Bottle. About an hour down the trail, we passed Skillet and Bottle, and Skillet was violently ill. Word had been sent for their ride to wait longer at the road and that he was sick, but that was a confusing message to send. After discussing the importance of drinking water, we thought we¢d done all we could do to help. We left Bottle to nurse him down the mountain. In just 5 minutes or so, the entire valley resounded withthe most terrible heaving noise I¢ve ever heard. This was quite the hurl and I know they were going to need help. Just about that time, we met Gravity walking back to see them. He and Danger had split up so he could go help. I¢m still ashamed of myself; it was way too easy to rationalize out of staying with Skillet and Bottle the first time we encountered them. ¢It¢s getting dark, he¢s contagious, let¢s move on.¢ That was a sin. I¢m ashamed that we did not stay with them for fear of our own getting sick. One of the most important rules in following Jesus is that there is no fear in love; perfect love casts out all fear (New Testament). Jesus touched lepers. I¢m a sinner. Anyway, we stopped and did the right thing after we saw Gravity heading back. By this time Skillet was totally incoherent: mumbling, stumbling, grumbling. He had been vomiting and was now dry-heaving. Poor Amber (Bottle) truly did a great with him, but she needed help. Oh! I forgot to mention why there was such a big problem: they were slackpacking, which means they had no shelter. We mixed up some Gatorade (half-diluted) and strongly encouraged him to drink. The pattern began to form: drink, regain affect, walk a spurt, collapse, vomit, woller on the ground, repeat. We kept repeating the cycle, knowing that the Gatorade was the only thing keeping him going. Any normal time one gets a virus, he or she can just lay in bed, but this was terrible because he had a short term virus in the back country while slackpacking. When we found him, we still had 3 miles to walk before dark. About halfway down Sci-Fi came running up the trail saying EMS was on its way. Not having insurance, Skillet and Bottle were quick to try and call is off, but we insisted that he needed medical attention as soon as possible. The worst thing would be to arrive and have to wait for help. It was good to have them there!When we finally arrived, the Mountain Search Team met us about 1/10 of a mile form the road wearing yellow vests and thankfully with bright halogen lights. Our LEDs were running a little dim. Upon arrival, we gave them our SAMPLE (a patient assessment acronym which stands for Signs, Symptoms, Allergies, Medications, Past Pertinent Medical History, Last Oral Intake, and Events Leading Up to Illness) and recommended them give oxygen since he had asthma. The ¢on duty¢ first responders were grateful and did a great job making Nathan comfortable. It was a crazy day. We walked back off the road about 1/10 of a mile and set up a tent colony with Gravity, Danger, Nick, and Steak ¢n¢ Eggs. The major production finally drove away at 10:30 and we got to bed. I know we¢ll never forget today, and we pray that Nathan is better and that we don¢t get what he had.I¢m just a Tennessee Walker,Josh HillHelp, I need somebody...¢- The Beatles