Date: 2005-05-02
From: Little Bald (a wooden summit)

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: few clouds

I am up and gone by 6 AM wanted an early start so I could get in to town for a good meal and to try to beat the crowd. Not to be, it wasn't the crowd behind me that stole my mojo, it was those "Hiker Viruses" in front of me that took it. A hiker virus is a hiker that draws in for themselves all the hospitality there is or was to offer. Some folk would brag about staying at the best places for a week at a time. I talked to one hiker that said he stayed at Ms Jenny's there in Erwin for eight days. Not cool in my opinion, one or two days max and then move on (stay in town, come visit again but please go set a tent up somewhere). After all everyone is there for the memories made with the history of the trail, it is what we read about or hear through trail talk. I ran into this time after time the closer I got to Damascus. I was on a time line to enter this town just before trail days and there was a lot of folks on the trail with the exact time line. Most were cool about it however, all the camp sites were full. I would not advise doing that ever, in fact I recommend that you go past the town and hitch hike back. Move 100 miles up the trail before returning, there are places that will shuttle you. Nice way to avoid the great exodus at the end of the festival as well. I took eight days off the trail to spend time with my daughter Shannon during trail days. I let the "Push" go forward before I got back on the trail. It worked out well.   Praying Mantis decided to sleep in this morning, it was the last I saw him till one day after trail days. After that I never heard from him again. When I got to town I waited for him at the trail head (Uncle Johnny's) for over an hour. Turbo Joe passed me by and went for a room at the Best Southern Hotel, I almost went with but decided to wait. I eventually tried to catch a ride with Noodle and New Heart but the vehicle was too small. I decided to stay the night and wound up walking to the Holiday Inn Express with Coho, Roamer and Pete. We all shared a room and split the cost ($20.00 each). Here I was introduced to what I entered earlier in the journal, that true unavoidable disgusting hiker funk. No doubt about it we stunk! I went to do laundry and offered to dry clean their sleeping bags while I was there. Place your bag in the dryer with a bounce sheet. I recommend turning it inside out once in a while as well. This does help take away the smell, just be carefully of the heat setting.   The Hotel had a hot tub and the four of us went in for an hour or so. It felt so nice to relax there. Even though we all showered and did our laundry, the smell lingered on. We went to Elm's restaurant for a good meal. Not to expensive and they served a very tasty steak (MEAT...it does a body good! ). Nice thing about holiday inn express is the continental breakfast they offer, nothing big however, very filling (and of course lots of coffee). A nice way to leave town.... no waddling from an over filled hiker belly.      Phoenix rising and Crazy legs were there as well. Phoenix pulled off the trail and was running trail magic at the time. She was selling some of her pre-packed food at a good price. I bought enough to walk out of town with and built a mail drop package. I sent it to Troutdale at a post office near the trail. That was a good day, when I went to pick it up that is. More on that later. Phoenix wound up following Crazy Legs all the way to the end of the trail. More then once she gave us rides and would never ask for anything. I always offered her gas money, I remember she took it only once after I forced it in her hands, (Phoenix you are a sweetheart, thanks).