Date: 2007-03-14
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Big Cedar Mountain
Miles today: 13.3

Last night was atrocious. The Army Rangers decided to march through our campsite last night... twice. Twice... I had to hear the drill sergeant shout "Keep moving! Butt against butt!" Twice... they almost trampled upon me and my fragile, dirty body. Twice... I had to endure the sound of forty pairs of feet haphazardly stampeding through the underbrush like a herd of elephants. This occurred at 12 PM and 1 AM, 3 and 4 hours past hiker midnight, respectively. Screw you, Army Ranger Corps. What do we need you for anyway.Of course I couldn't get any sleep after that, so I was one of the first ones up at dawn. There were like over 20 of us camping in and around the shelter. I was the first one out, determined to make some headway into this endless trail. Yesterday seemed too short.It was another absolutely gorgeous day, and although I hear it's supposed to rain tomorrow and Friday, I didn't let it bother me. I took off down the mountain, enjoying the early morning sunshine, feeling strong and generally very happy.Now Not Guilty had warned me earlier this morning as I was packing my bivy that there were a few hard mountains in between Hawk and Gooch Mountain Shelters, so I should be a smidgen careful. Those mountains were actually 2 big mountains, the first of which was called Sassafras Mountain, otherwise known in hiking circles as "Kick-a-yo'-ass" Mountain.Now I don't profess to be in good shape - I've led a relatively sedentary lifestyle. But Sassafras - yeah, it was challenging, but I found it more fun than anything else. Lots of pesky switchbacks, steep climbs - don't be hatin', be flowin', yo.Jeez, I sound like the dude from Little Miss Sunshine now.Anyway, I guess the only section of that trail that gave me any real grief was that there were literally no water sources. I had filled up before I had left, and boy was I glad I had done so. By the time I made it to Justus Creek, I had little more than a swig left. I was never so happy to see water in all my life.I arrived at Gooch Mountain Shelter at 12:30, cooked lunch, and chatted with two hikers named Jacob and Courtney. Then I continued to Woody Gap. The trail from Gooch to Woody was lovely, and I met three other thru-hikers. The first two were a couple named Chris and Kay. It had taken them 3 days to hike what I had done in a day and a half. They were taking it slow, with a lot of breaks. HYOH, I guess, though they'll have to go a little faster than that if they're ever gonna make it to Maine in time. Somehow I don't think I'll see them again.About 5 minutes later I met a middle-aged man going up really slow up a mountain. A cynical man named Bob Neil, he told me he couldn't wait to shed all the shit from his pack. It looked like it weighed in excess of 40 pounds. He told me he thought Woody Gap was right over the next hill, and that he'd meet me there.Well, he was dead wrong. The trail went on for almost 3 more miles before Woody Gap came into view. A lot of great views along the way, I might add, but at the rate he was going, he wouldn't make it there before nightfall.At Woody Gap I considered hitching a ride into Suches, but I didn't really care to spend $10 just to pitch a lousy bivy. So I walked across the road into the Blood Mountain Wilderness.I met an elderly man with a real southern twang that made him extremely difficult to understand. He had a beautiful 8-month old golden retriever with him, and he joked the dog didn't know she was a dog, yet. Then he asked me where I was from, I said Long Island, and he begins going on this long, convoluted rant involving dog racing, horse racing, and gambling, which somehow immediately turned into a conversation about how Elvis Presley didn't play rock'n'roll until he went up north. He was rockabilly until then, but Chuck Berry had invented rock.I asked him if there were any good camping sites around, he said "about a mile ahead." I found it - just a flat little place with a pretty view. I turned on my phone and was surprised to see I had 3 bars. So I called Will, and left a message demanding pizza delivery in a half hour for $10, and called Sean, cooked Ramen, and went to bed.