Date: 2003-04-19
From: Max Patch Summit

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The sunrise this morning totally made up for missing the sunset yesterday. It broke through in shades of pink and yellow- lighting up the fogged in mountains below us to the southeast. It was a slow sunrise that set the stage for a leaisurely morning. The tent didn't fair too well with all the condensation. I put it up facing the wrong direction, so the wind didn't end up whipping through all night - which generally reduces the amount of condensation build up. Instead the tent sides caught the wind. They flapped so much durning the night that it woke me several times. I was happy to get out of my tent this morning and let the sun warm and dry it. I joined Sprout at her tent for breakfast around 9. As we fixed up our stoves and drank our hot coffee a set of trail angels (LWOP and Slow Walker) brought us chocolate easter candies, chocolate cupcakes and sunkist sodas. MMM. We ate it up and talked Florida Trail. Then Navigator, one of their cohorts came over to chat and told us more about hiking in Florida. Our visits with these trail angels was interspersed with our listening to the radio - and boy did we luck in to some awesome programming - CarTalk and Wait!Wait! Don't tell me. It was a great way to spend the morning. Before we knew it, it was 11 and time to pack up and head to the summit to meet Jessica. She showed up a little late, but I didn't mind waiting. She and Jason arrived with lots of goodies in tow: Curried Chicken Salad, Pasta Chicken Salad, freshly baked rolls, carrot/walut cake with cream cheese icing. Ugh! I ate so much. I had such a good time talking with her. We monopolized so much of the conversation and sprout and jason were relatively quiet. But old friends always have so much to catch up on...We left around 3 for the hike. As we hiked off Max Patch we ran in to Rambo Firstblood who asked if we were northbounders. We said yeah and he offered us goodies that we had to decline for being so stuffed. The weather was nice and coo, the terrain was gentle and the wildflowers were in full bloom. The trilliums were out in every color - red, yellow, white - and sometimes there were fields full of them. I took yet another picture of the illusive white flower. Hopefully, it won't turn out all blurry. I had to use the privy when I arrived at the shelter and low and behold - there was a most awesome surprise - TP. I was in such amazement. TP on a day when I had used the last of my own. This was definately trail magic. After that, deciding that this was the shelter we'd stay at was a no-brainer. Originally we had planned to hit the next one - Walnut Creek - but the TP, plus the news that Rambo Firstblood was returning made the decision to stick around easy. Healer let us use hiw water filter then shared some of the dinner he'd cooked with me. In exchange, I gave him one of Jessica's homeade rolls. Seemed like a fair trade to me. Our trail angel Kevin - Rambo Firstblood - showed up with easter candy, sodas, fruit and little debbies. He even brought more TP!!! And he packed out some of our trash. Hallaluah! Could we have asked for more magic? no. But that didn't stop the magic from rolling in even more. Later, as we were winding down the evening, two hikers straggle in to camp. BOOM! Out they pull a case of beer. Oh, it was nice to enjoy a beer around the fire and joke with some really neat new folks that we had met (Butterfly, Birdnut, Tripper, Still Bill, Brian, Blue Sky and Healer). What a day of wonder and awe. I'm loving every minute of this right now and wouldn't change it for the world.