Date: 2009-04-23
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was my first full day off the trail since the rainy day at Neels Gap which was more like a day of sitting on the trail without moving. It has been a day of resting my legs and feet, showering, eating things other than pasta and oatmeal, doing laundry, picking up incidentals I needed, going through my pack to see what has been worth its weight and what was just along for the ride (got rid of about 1/2 a pound of excess baggage), picking up my food drop, recharging my cell batteries, and updating my journal.Hiker hunger is slowly setting in, so, after the big steak dinner last night, this morning I went to McDonalds and ordered the biggest breakfast meal they had ... 1,600 calories. On the way back, I came to a small medical clinic. I poked my head in and asked if they had a scale I could weigh myself on. They did and I found to my great surprise that I have lost 19 pounds since leaving home on 4/4! That's roughly what my pack weighs! So my lack of hunger the first two weeks was a result of burning off excess energy stored in my body. Now that that is about over, I will have to consume what energy I expend.In the morning I saw Koop again as he was waiting for the shuttle back to the trail so he is now a full day ahead of me as I will be heading out in the morning. I also had the great honor of meeting and chatting with two AT trail legends ... Miss Janet is a long-time hostel owner and all around friend of hikers. She had some good hints for my journaling, and looked me up and down and guessed to within a pound how much weight I had lost since starting out! The other trail legend is Ron Haven whose motel I have been staying at. In addition to having two motels in town, he runs shuttles all day long, getting hikers to and from the trail, and around town in the afternoon so they can take care of resupplying food, gear, etc.Thanks to Ron I also had the chance to eat ramps for the first time in my life. Ramps are an onion that grow wild in the nearby mountains for a few weeks at this time of year and are not available in stores. They have a strong taste that is a combination of onion and garlic. When eaten in quantity, they give one a horrible case of bad breath such that, I'm told, local dentists will not treat patients who have eaten ramps within the past 24 hours.I should mention hikers boxes. At places along the trail like this motel, there are boxes where hikers can put things they no longer need and pick up stuff left by others they find of interest. It is a great system. I put some foot powder and excess oatmeal in the box, and, in return, took some cookies and energy bars that looked good.Another thing worth mentioning is water. The first day out Bon Bon and I religiously treated our water from springs and stream with chlorine. Since then I have not treated any water. I have seen no livestock since getting on the trail, the springs flow right out of the mountains, cool and clear, and after two weeks, I have had no indigestion whatsoever. This will change as we get closer to civilization up towards Virginia.Back on the trail tomorrow!PhotosTrail legend, Miss JanetRon Haven (r), another trail legendPicking up a food drop at an outfitterRamps!Fellow hikers, Liz from Scotland, Danger from Canada, and Kermitt, originally from Wales