Monday, April 2, 2007
Photos are up!
Sunday, April 1, 2007
3/30 Max Patch!
Walnut Mountian Shelter
This day started early at 6AM with a trip to the out house. First I had to ask where it was, then I needed a headlight to find it (the sun rises at about 7), and then one more trip for tp. After all that exhusting effort I couldn't sleep so I got an early start packing. Since I wanted to make my maildrop on sunday I was going to do a hard day, 33 miles, by hiking slow and steady so I could be there tomrrow morning. Curtis the Hostel Keeper who had introduced me to moonshine however told me I could call the outfitters in Hot Springs and get them to pick up the box and then I could get from them as late as 5PM or even sunday. This saved me a enormus ammount of stress and allowed me to have a very relaxed morning. I did some stuff online, cooked one of my extra dinners for breakfast, and hung out with everyone. ManyNames pushed off at 9AM with boot problems that he resolved and as a result was to the shelter fairly early. Renassance Man and I pushed off at about 10 AM for the 2!
0 mile hike to 
Walnut Mt. Shelter. The day seemed at first seemed like it would never end with not much to look at and not many landmarks. My knees were stil sore from yesterdays descent but they seemed to improve as I hiked. Fairly early we did come upon one interestinf landmark, a radio beacon that planes use to navigate. It was a very odd building on the top of a mountian that looked half way between cozy residence and office block. It had siding and a porch but was surrounded by signing warning that disturbing this building would be very bad. Dispite this still the morning seemed to drag on forever.
That was until we reached what is called Max Patch. It is hard to miss being a few square miles of smoothly rolling hills hundreds of feet in height. In the patch I felt like I was on top of the world. I could see for miles in every direction. The horizon was differnt hues of pastel mountians rolling into the infinte distance. I was so wide open that I imagine this is where Atlas would have tried to hold the earth. We marveled for a while and took many pictures.
After that the rest of the hiking seemed to happen in high speed. I suppose the fairly flat terrian was the reason but still we made almost 4 miles and hour. About a mile before getting to camp I came across to field on top of a mountian maybe 1/2 mile square that had been razed. I never seen anything like it but for some reason someone decided to cut down every tree, shrub, and grind even the grass into the dirt.
The site was packed with a full shelter. I joined the group of 5 or so tents behind the shelter. I cooked the last dinner in my pack. That left me with a fist full of gorp and 3 packets of oatmeal for my hike tomorrow. I am exhausted and have toe blisters from my toe nails rubbing the tip of my toe on the down hills. Still I am happy becuse torrow afternoon I will be relaxing in Hot Springs NC!
3/29 Pizza and beer
Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel
I forgot to mention yesterday stopping at Charlie's Bunion. It is a rock that juts from the side of a mountian. When you stand on it it is like hanging mid air above the deep valley below. The view was stuning, one of the best thus far!
Today was a steady hike with a lot of downhill however first had to climb over a peak. The air was filled with humidity and mist hiding most distant objects. Along the way I passed Mt. Cammer which had a old stone fire tower from the 30s. It, as all fire towers do, commands a view of a wide area though it was mostly clouded in. However the clouds did break every so often giving us a view of Davenport 5 miles away and 2,000' below. It was a magical location which just set my spirt at ease. In the register inside the 8 sided wooden observtion tower I found many others had felt the same thing and wrote poems to describe thier experiance.
After that bit of beauty the decent was punishing leaving no ones knees safe. Snackbreak and I talked politics/ethics a lot which seem to touch a nerve. I didn't some much anger her as ended up talking about things that came back with way more energy than I expected. It was all OK though and for sure a lively and inspiring converation.
Finally we arrived at about a 1 mile road walk, a small climb and into Standing Bear where we would spend the night. We took glorious showers and enjoyed "instant water". The person who had taken care of Renanasance Man's dog, Gojo, promised that when she brought the dog she would also bring pizza and beer which she did. While we waited for the dog people sat aroung talking, airing out stinky sleeping bags, and playing music. Finally the dog and pizza and beer arrived. For $5 a head we got two large pizzas and 18 beers. In 10 minutes it was all gone. I never enjoy Budwiser so much as I did tonight. Please send good beer, I think I am loseing my sense of taste!
Gojo managed to find a automatic dog feeder for a local dog and we all watched him get fatter and fatter and more hyper. The care taker/owner(?),Curtis, brought out a bottle of moonshine which he said was OK. It certianly packed a punch and was very smooth. All in all I think he has won a fan of moonshine out of me. He told riviting stories of his travels and we all sunk into a blissful relaxation.
In reflection the Smokies were much better than I had antcipated. There were busy shelters, true, but it had some of the best trail construction so far. No where else has the trail held to the Appalachain Trail ideal so much. It followed the ridge strictly and had the best built trails with very manageable grades to allow comfortable hiking. Shatter told us that the Smokies are the most visited National Park with 10-11 million vistors a year. However only 1.1 million make into the back country. Backcountry is defined as 1/4 of a mile from a road. I think this is very sad.
3/28 Part II
At first I though they were decorative versions of the band people use just below their knees to help with inflamation but on closer inspecion they were a serires of washer shaped stones around one inch in diameter that were woven with a eathry toned yard directly to his leg. He said they were not removable and just stayed there all the time trapped by the calf and knee. Very beautiful work he had done himself.The trail up Newfound Gap was wide and sloped very mildly for the the tourist so the hike out of the gap happened in a flash.
At the next shelter everyone caught up with Shatter who had some leftover munchies that previous campers had left behind. I enjoyed a Go-Gurt and a red delicous apple. We also heard a weather port that rain was about to hit.
With that news we hit the trail. On the trail I heard a call or yelp
that didn't sound like anything I had ever heard. I suspected it was someone on a switchback below playing around.The sun came out and it looked like we had dodged the storm so I took a snack break by the side of the trail and Shatter caught up with me. We spent a while talking about this and that and finally we settled on privies. Most hikers take them for granted but I had found out they are rather complex and the source of a massive amount of labor on the part of the trail maintianers of which Shatter is a part of. SnackBreak caught up, stayed a while, and pushed ahead. I stayed with Shatter and talked for a while. It turned out the sound I had heard earlier was Shatter messing with us.
The weather turned for the worst. Thunder and misty rain rolled in. We hiked together for a while he stopped to talk to someone and I pushed on. He is a faster hiker and started catching up soon after. As he hiked he sung or rather chanted in Sanskrit which reverbed off the terrain to fill the trail with resonate sound. He caught me again and then again stopped to talk with someone else.
At the junction with Perks Corner Shelter ManyName, Renasance Man and I had to decide whether we wanted to stay or make the push, risking rain, to the next shelter 5 miles away. I was waffling but when Snack Break caught up I decided to go with the group and I am glad I did. We said our good bys to Shatter and ran. The rain never came and we made great time into camp before dark. There we ran into some other people we knew, namely Twiglet, Pebble, Rainbow, Mississippi Mule along with some people out for spring break. It had been a long tough day and I am sure my sleep will come easily.
3/28 Feel'n great
Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
After my difficulties a couple days ago today pretty much erased that. I woke feeling refreshed and happy. The morning started out in more pine woods which had me tickled pink. The concentration of trees dying, decomposing, sprouting, reaching up for the sky left me feeling excited. No matter where I looked I saw the woods in motion from one state of being, all of them covered in any green moss the mind could conjuer.
Much of today was spent walking along sharp ridgelines with a narrow dirt path almost impossibly holding to the top just wide enough to walk. As always this gave me a continous scrolling scene of green, blue, purple and gray mountians to look at.
After a while I came upon a water shut-off valve that was inexplicatly sticking out from between a seemingly unaffected m
ass of root. I looked up hill to see a massive stone retaining wall. After that it was a short walk into Newfound Gap.
Newfound Gap was packed with tourists who parked their cars to look at the rather nice outlook, use the restrooms, take their picture next to the TN/NC border sign, and move on. I came upon Many Names, SnackBreak, and Renassance Man. We all sat on a rock wall and chatted. Just as I arrived Apple, the trail angel with the "Spaceship" arrived. He couldn't provided any trail magic because it seems you need a permit to do that in a National Park but he was there to chat and was tracking our progress on his laptop. I wonder what he is doing with that data?
I spent my time relaxing, enjoying the view, reading the interpative signs, using a privy that didn't involve a handfull of bark mulch and did involve handwashing. Also in a way we sorta turned out to be an attraction ourselves with tourists asking us what the AT is, when did we start, etc.
Also amongst the group was Mind Shatter or Shatter for short. He is, as we found out later, one of the three paid employees who maintain the 70 or so miles of the AT in Smokies. He was immediatly a lightning rod of through hiker attention; energenic, clean looking, friendly and knowledgable. He was heading down that same strech of trail so I spent much of the afternon with him. He was wearing the most unique decorations around his knees.
Continued in next post....
My glasses
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Resupply
10 alchol wipes
1 titantium stake. It is a grey metal stake about 6" long, thin, with a simple half loop top. I forget who I left them with.
People who want to send or coordinate care packages, if you set the first line of your comment to "Tim don't read" I will erase the comment before reading any more.
Again thank you to anyone sending or even thinking of sending a care package.
Below is the addressing information. Please send packages at least 7-10 days in advance.
--Grasshopper
Ashley Tim Laurence/Grasshopper
Expected Arrival Date 4/13/2007
C/O Mt. Rogers Outfitters
110 Laurel Ave. (P.O. Box 546)
Damascus, VA 24236
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