Date: 2016-05-28
From: Velvet Rocks Shelter

To: Smart Mt Campsite 
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Before I tell you about my day, I want to talk to you about something. For some reason, on this Trail, Will and I are running into something we've never run into before. What is it? Well, people don't think that we are really through hikers. Usually it runs like this. We ask them where they are hiking. They tell us. Then they ask us where we started. And we say Georgia. Either their eyes get really big and they say I thought you were out for the weekend. You don't look like thru-hikers. When you ask them why we don't look like thru-hikers they say it's because we are too clean.We actually had one woman say no way! You're not thru hikers. You're not dirty enough. At first I took it as sort of a compliment. We are somehow staying cleaner than the average hiker. But after about the 9th or 10th time, I started feeling a little slighted.Or maybe defensive.   Like I need to pull out my phone and show them my Trail Journals diary to prove we really started in Georgia. Which is silly I know. Whether I look like a thru hiker or I look like a day hiker or Weekender, I'm still a thru hiker. I don't know, maybe I should get down on the ground and roll around in the dirt a little bit so I could be a real thru hiker.It was so hot last night. It never really did cool off. Will and I both woke up well before our usual time. So we decided to go ahead and get up and hit the trail even earlier. We were on trail by 5 a.m. this morning. We were also thirsty since there was no water at this shelter. We hiked for half a mile or so and came to the turn off for the water source.   Sometimes the water is right on trail and sometimes you have to hike a while to get to it. We try and avoid the off trail mileage whenever we can, but this morning it was a neccesity.   Turned out to be a really nice spring that had a clean, covered cistern to collect the water. Ice cold and you can drink it straight up without treating it. Now that's what I'm talking about. You know how I told you we were like little chipmunks stuffing the extra miles in our cheeks for tough travel in the White Mountains? Well, we are now in them. Sort of on the fringes. I'm sort of waiting to see if I agree with all the hype about their difficulty or not.As the day progressed the heat really ramped up. So we were glad when we got to the turn off for Bill Ackerlys house. Bill is 85 and is known as the 'Ice Cream Man' as he gives every one who passes by an ice cream bar. He also provides water, a place to charge their phone, a place to rest in the shade. He provides a place to pitch your tent, free of charge if you need to. He plays a mean game of croquet and places a sign taunting you to even attempt to beat him at it at the turn off. His life has been a labor of love for the hikers. I was really looking forward to meeting him. But it was not to be, for when we reached the turn off to Bills house there was a large poster with his picture on it announcing his death just a few days earlier.We still went up to the house and got a ice cream bar and some water. Rested in the shade and signed the hiker register. Thanks for everything Bill. Some people live their lives selfishly and some people change the world by giving themselves away. Bill was a world changer. Just ask any hiker who knew him.We left Bills feeling refreshed and made our way up the very steep, rocky uphill to the Fire Tower on Smarts Mountain. The wardens cabin has been made into a shelter. There were 5 or 6 other hikers there. All section hikers in various stages of their journey. Several had only been out a couple of days.   We made our dinner there then climbed the fire tower for an amazing view. After that we went to the Smarts Tent Camping area and set up our tent. We're pretty high up here and the tent spaces are near the slope, plus we have a breeze so it should be comfortable for sleeping temperature wise. So, I'm calling it a night. Catch you later! Road Runner