Date: 2011-05-02
From: Bearfence Hut

To: Loft Mountain
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: broken clouds

Fraser FirSection Hiker- moving in an overall northerly direction from Springer Mountain, Georgia (In the Chattahoochee National Forest to Mount Katahdin in Maine.)Year Eight of my section hikeMonday May 02, 2011Bearfence Hut to Loft Mountain25 Miles headed South todayI tell you what; I had a pretty challenging sleeping pad last night at Bearfence Hut. As I mentioned, I do not do shelters and set up camp a little past ten p.m.In addition, I had a sort of embarrassing moment last night hiking in the fog and stuff. As I had alluded to in my entry yesterday, I hiked with two deer for maybe five-ten-fifteen minutes coming down off of Hazeltop Mountain. As the trail switch backed, the deer thought they were losing me by cutting across in a south-westerly direction. Little did they know that every fifteen to thirty seconds, they were running right back into me! Hahhh! It made my day and brightened me up for sure!Well, when I crossed over skyline drive, I knew that it would be a challenge to find a flat camping area on the east side of the road. Regulations clearly state that you have to be one-half mile from skyline to set up camp. Since the rain and mist had stopped, I was not too crazy to push on to Bearfence. Bearfence would have been ideal because I could easily hang my food and use their tent pads. Just before dark, I found the most awesome flat spot. No erosion or chance for standing water. No way for my tent to wash down stream like a white water raft. It was an A+ tent pad!! Well, as I started to unload my gear, and this is the embarrassing part, I look up and guess what? There is Skyline Drive!! It was so quiet on Sunday evening, no one in the park and you would have never of known that the road was there!So I packed up my gear and climbed Bearfence Mountain!! Rocks everywhere for sure!Just to re-visit my experience at Bearfence last night: here goes:My tent pad was the best that I could find. It was at an angle on the southeast side of the trail.Any heavy down pour and my tent would be found one hundred yards downstream, regardless of tent stakes and ropes to secure.I took a chance and used my tarp underneath my tent instead of using it over my rain fly.The battle was won because the rain that did come was not heavy enough to get inside the tent. Yeah!!I was so exhausted that it was still an outstanding night of sleep; tilted on the side of a hill and all. Nothing like a rock jabbin you in the back this way and then thatta way. hahhhh!!Thru hikers were up and about as I collected my food bag from the food bag hanger. I quickly filled my water bottle from the stream. You know I am playing Russian roulette in not filtering or treating my water. My cartridge jammed again yesterday. It is time to get one of those ¢wands¢ that everyone uses now.The climb up to the trail was something else. I thank God that I did not permanently injure myself. I witnessed the blue blazed trail that I traversed late last night to get to this hut and boy, I tell you what, if it was not for that hiker and his head lamp for guidance, I could have broken every bone in my body!!The tread way is nice and flat as I head south for Lewis Mountain Campground and Picnic Area.I am about ten minutes away from cupcakes, cookies and cokes!! It is pretty cold this morning, but I am still craving a good old cold coke.I can hardly wait to talk to Stephanie and the boys. Cell phone service may arise soon enough!I am starting to really miss my family and feeling guilty for running away from everything in my messy life.to be continued ¢¦¢¦.