Date: 2004-06-22
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Berry Blazing
Miles today: 14.4

I hiked briefly with Backdraft Bong Ramen. I asked him what it was like to swallow Ramen soup from a beer bong. He said that he broke up the dry noodles beforehand, but when he poured the mix into the scoop, the noodles clogged up the opening to the funnel. With the bottom of the funnel in his mouth, he had to reach up and un-clog the noodles with his fingers. The entire stunt took one minute. He said it was a test of his resolve. I replied that it was ironic that a person who is thru hiking the Appalachian Trail¢an ultimate test of resolve¢would consider the bonging of Ramen soup as a test of his mettle.The trail passed by a steep rock formation. I removed my backpack and scaled the face of the formation. A nice view of the countryside rewarded my effort. When I attempted to descend the formation, I could not make it down. Shivers, a twenty-something-year-old hiker came along and assisted me. While standing at the bottom, he told me to slide down and place my foot against the trunk of a tree--a nearby foothold--which appeared to be jammed against the rocky incline. I slid down and landed my feet against the trunk of the tree. When that happened, the tree leaned backwards, away from the rock, opening up a gap between it and the rock. Without this foothold, I began sliding off of the formation. Shivers lifted up his hands and provided me with a last ditch foothold that arrested my descent. Whew! That was a scary moment.There is a mode of hiking described as blue blazing. A hiker will temporarily leave the actual Appalachian Trail, which is marked with white blazes, and will follow a different trail that is often marked with blue blazes. Some hikers might follow a blue blazed trail to visit a scenic location not viewable on the Appalachian Trail. Afterwards, they will hike back to the same spot on the Appalachian Trail and resume their thru hike or section hike. The concept becomes controversial when hikers use blue blazed trails to shorten the distances traveled on the official Appalachian Trail. Some hikers yellow blaze, which means to cut corners by walking or hitch hiking on roads instead of parts of the official trail. For example, two days ago some hikers yellow blazed from the hostel to the trail where it crossed a road on the opposite side of Catawba. They skipped over six miles of official trail.Another concept I just heard about is aqua blazing, which means canoeing or kayaking along rivers near the trail, then hiking the rest of the way to Maine. I take a purist view, preferring to hike the official trail.Today, while hiking with Shivers, we mistakenly hiked away from the official trail and followed a path to a power line. There, we discovered a patch of ripe blackberries and enjoyed a delicious snack. I told Shiver that we were "berry blazing." Our fingers were red as we hiked back to the spot on the Appalachian Trail where we had lost our way.The trail led us to Daleville, Virginia, a noisy town at the interchange of a highway. There, we resupplied with food and gear. At an outdoor store, I purchased a summer sleeping bag to replace my three season bag. I also purchased a pair of neoprene socks to wear with my sandals during the rain. These socks will hopefully prevent the friction against my skin from the straps of sandals and from contact with dirt and pebbles.The hike out of town led us up a tough incline which had me sweating profusely. After hiking for several miles, we reached Fullhardt Knob Shelter. The water source at the shelter was a cistern. The water was not clear, so I did not draw any of it. Instead, I rationed the water that was already in my water bladder. Susan, Shivers, Messy Garage and his nephew, and myself, were setting up camp at this shelter. Three other hikers arrived; they were a couple in their thirties and an older woman in her late fifties. The older woman was not familiar with long distance hiking. I was told that she had flown in from another state to hike with her daughter and future son-in-law for a few days.While I was sitting at the picnic table, I said to Susan, with whom I am familiar, "Did you hike naked yesterday? I hiked naked for four miles."Oops! After uttering those words, I realized that those three new arrivals, especially the older woman, would have no idea that I was referring to "Hike Naked Day." They had definitely heard my remark. I looked at the older woman. She was looking at her daughter with an odd expression, perhaps wondering if they had run into some weird people. I explained to them the reason for my remark.After dark, I strolled down the Appalachian Trail near the spot where I have erected my hammock with its new, larger tarp. This site is located along the top of a wooded ridge.Looking ahead as I walked, I noticed the amber lights of a town off in the distance. The lights seemed to flicker, but in reality, the flickering was caused by my walking by tree trunks and branches that momentarily blocked my view of the lights. At the same time, fire flies were illuminating the woods with their own flashes of amber light. The combine effect of the lights in the town and the lights of the fire flies created an intriguing, albeit deceptive light show.