Date: 2004-04-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The weather has been quite the treat since we got on the trail. Sweltering hot for a couple of days, then rainy for two or three, and can you believe it snowed today? Have to love the mountains.Quite an interesting path that we have been walking these past couple of days with a lot of history. Yesterday we hiked over Punchbowl Mountain, and there was the Ottie Cline Powell Memorial. It was dedicated to this girl because her body was found at the exact spot of the memorial. She was a 4-year-old girl, who had wandered away from school. The school was 7 miles away and it happened November 9, 1891. So sad.Today we hiked through the Brown Mountain Creek community. In the late 1800s through the 1920s a community of slaves had called home this 1.5 mile (approx.) section all on the Brown Creek. There are many remnants of stone houses still very visible through that section.Humor side bar: Mother and I sat and read the sign as we entered into the section of the AT where the community was. There are tons of piles of rocks and we read the sign: As you leave the area, there is another sign for SOBO, and we read that one too. She turns around and says ¢Oh Kate. Look! I bet that was a part of the community!¢ Duh! We just walked through and past 1.5 miles of this stuff. It is just funny, because it is totally something she would miss. Ha Ha. It might be a family thing. Moving on . . .We decided that since we did 9 miles by lunch. Wait! We had trail magic today. Flash and Hot flash, who thru-hiked in ¢87 gave us a Pepsi and three donuts today. Mmmmm. Thanks! Anyway--we decided to continue hiking 5-6 more miles to Cow Camp Gap Shelter. It had a climb from 1395 feet to 4059 feet. We were at the shelter by 12:15 and stayed until 1:45. We hiked out very strong, and made it up probably 2/3 of the climb before mother had a lapse of strength. Of course, clouds started to gather overhead and the wind picked up. So we dropped our packs and put rain covers and coats on. About 100 feet up the trail, mother was about ready to have a breakdown. She welled (teared)--I had to immediately choke down tears and be the strong one. We can do it mom! About this time the darkest cloud yet rolled in, and brought with it some hail, snow, rain, and fog. It hadn¢t started up yet, though. Mom needed food. Zingers to the rescue. Two and a half Zingers later, she probably could have hiked to Holland and back. We took off as fast as possible, but get caught in the weather just as we got on the ridge. Not a great place to be. We hightailed it down to the shelter (1.5 miles), and thought we were saved. Not quite.Mom had traded her winter bag for a 14 ounce 45 degree bag. Well, it turned out to be almost 30 degrees or less during the night. Oh wait--sorry back track. So we got to the shelter, did the usual chores of water, dinner, cocoa/coffee, bathroom, and sleeping area. We both knew my mom was going to freeze. So I told her to get in my nice warm bag, and I¢d be good and take hers. Yet again -- hind sight -- should have let her freeze -- just kidding, mom. It was now 7:30 and time for bed. No other hikers at the shelter, so we laid down next to each other, as close as humanly possible, because we were both so cold already. Se we started giggling, because I told mom she was in my personal bubble, and we heard a noise.¢Holy Shit!¢ Another hiker, and there were mom and me all but spooning on the shelter floor. Of course it was a 26-year-old guy with blonde hair, longer with a beard and cute glasses. I was so completely embarrassed. Mom started rattling off that I¢m her daughter, and she¢s my mom. Thanks mom -- here, take a shovel and dig the hole deeper. Not only are we now lesbians, but inbreeders, too. It had to have been one of the most embarrassing moments in my life.He turned out to be quite nice. I feel bad for him, though, because mother snores like a saw, and I tossed and turned all night, because I was frozen -- I mean frozen in her sleeping bag. Probably 2 hours sleep max.