Date: 2015-05-09
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth campsite Low Gap
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

I awoke to a beautiful sunrise through the trees, most of the other campers were still sleeping and so I quietly took pictures and retrieved my food bag. I ate my breakfast of Hot Chocolate, breakfast bar, and bacon, packed up and was on the trail early. The morning was sunny, cool, and downhill!!After only 4.6 miles I arrived at TN 91 road crossing and much to my delight there was Trail Magic put out by the Nelson Chapel Baptist Church. And this was extra special trail magic, with a big cooler of drinks, boxes of assorted cakes and cookies, and even some additional items for those who needed blister care, shampoo, soap, duct tape and other items for repair or refreshment. Bison and Bookworm had camped here overnight and were awakened to the church group putting out the trail magic, what a great wake up surprise! NeeMor, Spider, Krispy, Light Bulb, Prime Time, Night Hawk, and I joined Bison and Bookworm in enjoying this bounty, talking, and reveling in the beautiful morning.After the mid-morning snack I felt refreshed and felt like I could go on. I had been planning on hitching a ride into Shady Valley for lunch, but now felt like I should go on, that is until I got to the road. I looked down the road, turned right and started walking towards people food in Shady Valley. After about a mile I was picked up by a nice couple and they took me into Shady Valley. I went to The Country Store which was a big biker bar, without a bar. Scores of motorcycles were parked outside and riders enjoying lunch inside. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke with ice(!), found a place to sit down, charged my phone, caught up posting some trail journals and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Aaah! Civilization!Walking back on the road it was about 1.5 miles before I finally got a ride. When I got to the trail head I had a great surprise with Prime Time and Night Hawk driving up, they were on there way back to pick up their other car, and we got to say hellos and goodbyes again. I hope I get to hike with them again. Great couple!!I started hiking again and the trail was an accessible path through a pasture with beautiful views down into the valley. The trail went through a gate and into a pasture with cows grazing! I met Torfin and we marveled at finally seeing some "wildlife". The trail carried on back into the woods and I came to Double Springs Shelter and met three elderly ladies who had been hiking since Springer - Harp Weaver, Repack, and Ziploc. The ladies were all in their 60's and I told them they were an Inspiration to be out here. Then I found out the real Inspiration - Harp Weaver had just completed Chemo and Radiation for Breast Cancer. And now she was out on the trail walking hundreds of miles of mountains! Inspiration and Courage!It was a magnificent evening and I was fueled by my bacon cheeseburger and inspiration and so I continued hiking, and got to thinking about my own inspiration. I had been blessed with having a flight instructor that was also Inspiration. She had gone through tough times herself and finally followed her dreams to fly, and became an incredible teacher and mentor. She trained me to fly, got me through my instrument rating, and inspired me to go on the path I am on today, to become a flight instructor myself. As I walked through this beautiful evening, the sun getting lower, views of the valley below, I came upon another point of inspiration, one that will hopefully pull together my future life, and help me pull together disparate hopes and dreams. Sometimes you don't know where inspiration comes from, but this night it came from the unlikeliest of sources, and in that evening twilight it was all coming together.I found a beautiful campsite just as the sun was setting, set up my tent, gathered fire wood, started a fire, and watched the sun set. I ate a sandwich from the Country Store for dinner, and the lights in the valley below came on with the dusk and the stars were coming out. Leo was high overhead, Venus and Jupiter were shining brightly, and I felt incredibly blessed that evening, a wonderful day of hiking, real food, and inspiration.