Date: 2003-03-17
From: Justus Creek

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

Well, the luck of the Irish was not with us until late in the day. About 15 minutes into our hike this morning it started to drizzle and then turned to a light rain, which then turned to a steady rain. I must say hiking for 6 or 7 hours in the rain with a sore, tired body is not fun. I was cursing under my breath, wondering where the hell the Woody Gap was. For those of you who know me or know the Cooper temper/frustration know what I am talking about. I really wanted to kick a tree down. It was a challenge today to stay positive. I caught myself thinking while walking up yet another mountain "I'm tired, I'm tired." So knowing how powerful our thoughts areI changed it to "I'm strong, I'm strong." Luckily Wrong Way Brown (Becca) was having a strong day--thank God. She was there to help pull me through it. I'm so thankful fo her.So we made it into the nearest town of Suches where we called up Jim and Ruth Ann Miner who are listed in the hiker handbook. They are wonderful! They have been helping hikers for years. Jim was kind enough to pick us up at the general store which is really a BP gas station and then take us to Goose Creek Cabins, where we are staying tonight. He is even going to pick us up tomorrow morning and take us back to Woody Gap. I guess this is our first experience of trail magic.So right now I'm sitting on a leather couch in a two-bedroom cabin. They even have a washer and dryer, so we're going to do a load tonight. Imagine fresh, clean clothes. I've even had a HOT shower. Let me tell you, even though it's only been 3 days since my last shower, it felt like a million bucks. My quads and calf muscles were so happy. I get to sleep in a bed and I'm praying for a solid nights sleep. Last night was good except I'm still adjusting to sleeping in a narrow sleeping bag. So we are planning to hike 6 miles to a shelter on the trail and then Wednesday hike aanother 6 to Neels Gap, where we will resupply.We had to say good-bye to Noid today. She waited for us and then finally had to hike back to find us. She is like the trail fairy, surprising us every so often on the trail. She's just too fast for us and she has to make it to Virginia by a certain day so she can bike from VA to New Mexico. I will miss her sunny disposition so much. She is one of those great people who make you feel good just by being with her. I wish her well on her journey.So our group started with 6 and now we are down to me, Wrong Way Brown, and Kay. Goober, Noid, and Erin are still on the trail they are just a bit ahead of us. We are all fine with our slow pace. Our bodies still need some time to adjust and I have no doubt they will soon.So Tues and Wed according to the Weather Channel calls for more rain. With Wednesday night and Thursday having sever weather, so by then we'll be at Neel's Gap where we'll stay until it passes.Oh yeah, we ran into a couple of hikers in Suches and one of them had this HUGE pack, so I asked how much it weighed. He said he started with 80 pounds!! However he just mailed home 40 pounds worth of stuff. I seriously could not imagine an 80 pound pack. Mine weighs between 30-35 pounds and I'm thinking of stuff to mail home. I also saw a little sign somewhere today that was a quote that said, "This is just a moment in your life." It kind of summed up today. It wasn't fun but it was just one moment chained together with other moments and the only thing I have to do is get through it--just like putting one step in front of the other. Kind of like this is only one moment and if you don't like it don't worry it will pass. And you'll get through it.