Date: 2012-04-16
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Silar Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I was only a few minutes from the road and took my time breaking down camp.  Today was the last time I would have to deal with my finicky 4-pad system plus clothing to keep warm in the hammock.  I brought my food bag down slowly and was at the road a good thirty minutes early.  I thought about hitching in but really wanted to meet Ron Haven and knew he drove this particular shuttle.  So I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  It was around 10am by the time the 9am shuttle was supposed to arrive.  It's a free shuttle.  Are you really going to complain?  And I got to chat with Robbie who was getting off the trail with his brother Ryan to ride bikes down to the Keys.  It might be the last time I ever talk to this guy so it was nice to have the extra time.  On to the van.. Despite having only one seat left in the 11-seater Econoline, Ron drove to one of the other trailheads and piled nine more people in that van.  People were seated on the floor between the two front seats and in the loading area by the side door, which was broken and did not shut securely.  This is all fine in my book.  He tells us his rules, which are pretty accommodating: free shuttles, free use of computers, advice on restaurants, outfitters, and such.  He has a real big personality and I am sure he has his fingers in a ton of different ventures.  But he loves hikers and we are real appreciative of everything he does for us.  However, he wanted to show us a photo he took on his cell phone of the valley we were driving by when it was filled with clouds and looked like the ocean.  19 people in a van, 8 without seatbelts.  Not really the time to be diverting your attention.  The van did not crash through the guardrail taking our hopes of a completed thru-hike and a long, normal life with it.  Awesome.  He drops us off at his more expensive motel first.  To his credit, that us where the majority of the availability was.  I hopped back in to ride to the center of town where all the action was.  I wanted to eat and there were 39 restaurants within two blocks.  I had talked with Robbie and thought I would charge my phone and upload some photos while he got checked in.  We would hit the post office, meet up with his brother and grab some lunch.  It's 11:30 by the time we get to the post office and I am starved.  I had pop tarts for breakfast #1 so as not to spoil breakfast #2 in town.  I am getting a little light headed at this point but think I am getting where I need to be going.  We  end up going the wrong way on the first road up this hill and end up needing to ask for directions at this pregnancy support center.  Those ladies were definitely surprised to see two dudes walk in.  Twenty minutes and we are in line at the post office.  At lunch time.  The line moves fine, Robbie gets one of his two boxes and mine is nowhere to be found.  I have the tracking number but it is on my phone charging in the motel room.  So I use Robbie's phone to log into my gmail and pull out the number.  It turns out that my package containing my new nest insulation got shipped to Franklin, TN and I was in Franklin, NC.  Dang.  I called the other Franklin post office and had them bounce it to Fontana Dam where I am headed next.  We meet up with Ryan but Robbie wants a shower.  I hit the computer room and try to upload my photos but the USB ports are all tucked into these plastic enclosures and my SD adapter doesn't fit.  So I pull the tower away from the wall and crawl behind to rearrange the other cables to make room.  Finally plugged in but the USB ports are disabled.  Sweet.  I wait for Bigfoot Jim to finish up on his machine and hop over and go through the same process of crawling and rearranging.  These ports are alive!  I pull the chair up and open the necessary windows only to realize that I have been shooting only RAW and can't upload them.  Sigh.  I talked to Jean, who didn't have hot water in her room, for a few minutes and decided to change up my tactics.  Time to work on my list: sunscreen, fuel, camp shoes, groceries.  I got the fuel just fine and talked to Wild Bill on the way out.  He told me that The Butcher, Matt, and Rhyno were headed to Motor CO. Grill for burgers and beer.  I have not yet heard from Robbie so I went with my gut and walked down the road huffing my pack through town to the grill.  We ate outside in the sunshine and enjoyed a burger cooked to a mandated temperature by the state of North Carolina.  Each of us cleared out plates.  All the way.  There was not a scrap of food left and barely a smear.  The beers were cold and tasty too but long gone.  We were now just groceries and hitch away from being back on the trail.  Groceries were quick and I tried to cozy up to the locals in hopes of gaining a ride based on the power of enthusiasm and reason rather than physical appearance.  Didn't work.  We were out on the road facing a four-man hitch (nearly impossible) or an eleven-mile hike.  We split up sort of accidentally and I haven't seen them since.  I received two hitches and made it to the trailhead where I met Grateful, J-cuse, and Scout.  They hadn't seen the other three.  Hmm.  I headed four miles up the trail to the next shelter where there was a friggin' party going on.  Wild Bill, the Professor, and the Detective had hiked in beers, hot dogs, cheese, flat mallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.  Hot damn!  I also had the opportunity to finally meet Team Canada, consisting of Cheetah and Mange.  It was good times but people dropped off early and I nestled into my hammock for the night while a light drizzle tip-tapped on my rainfly.