33.7 hiked today, 804.9miles N, 1369.1miles left
North Forks of Piney River
The title refers to my diet for today, high in refined sugars.
5 Chewy Granola Bars
2 cups gorp
5 Little Debbie Snacks
4 Pop Tarts
10 Cookies (breakfast)
8 tortillas
4 oz cheese
1 packet of pistachio pudding
tvp sloppy joes
1 orange
1 apple
1 Kit Cat Bar
1 Coke
1 multi-vitamin
2 Alive
Yum! The diet of the ultra healthy thru-hiker.
I got up nice and early to start what I hoped would be a 33 mile day and I got that sort of. I made it on the trail by 7AM and hiked through to 8:30.
I wanted to do this long day for many resons, so I could catch up with McGyver who as a ways ahead hiking with his family, so I could make up some lost time in Daleville, becuase I am feeling very good and think my body is mostly adapted, and finally so when I get to the Dutch Haus where I a going to resupply and nearo I can have a full day to relax.
My big climb of the day put me over Blad Mnt which was very somber. I few feet from the summit was a small memorial for Ottie Cline Powel. I anticipated this was going to be much like the Auddie memorial but instead it was to a 4 year old girl who in 1891 was lost and traveled 7 miles to the very spot of the memorial before dying. I spent the next hour with thoughts of what must of been going through her head as she wandered the woods.
After that I came upon Punchbowel Shelter which is named after the pond that is in front of the shelter. It was a perfect shallow and warm pond to poke around in and I saw a wide range of life swimming about. The thing was most pysced about was two newts, a orange dotted one and a yellow speckled one mating near the shore. So involved were they that my shadow didn't scare them off.
I enjoyed a second breakfast there and then set off and that is when my troubles started. I don't know how I did it but I ended up heading up the AT in the wrong direction. I made a note on where to go ahead when I turn off the AT onto the Punchbowl Shelter trail and I swear I followed it. Unfortunately I was off in La La Land and it was 20 minutes before I realized I was going up when I should have been going down. I ended up climbing Punchbowl Mountain twice. I ran into Bowser who set my embarrassed self straight. All in all I think I covered about 1.5 miles extra.
After that it was smooth sailing. I held a steady steady and easy pace. Along the the way the trail skirted around the steep perimeter of Pedler Lake for a couple miles which was a real treat. Later it followed Brown MountainCreek where until the 1920s a small community of freed slaves worked the land as sharecroppers. All over I could see the ruminates of the stone walls they built as the cleared the land. I tried to envision the fields, sheds, and homes that must have filled this fairly narrow river valley. Now is wooded over and, minus the walls, shows very little of its past. At the shelter along the creek I ate some pistachio Pudding for lunch, yum! Then I packed up 3 liters of water for the next 10-12 water handicapped miles. Of course I was at a river an so I had to carry the water up hill 2600' feet.
During the climb I once again cross the boundary between spring and late winter with flowers in bloom. Down below the trail was dotted with Purple and White Iris. Above the world is green a budding with only smaller flowers blooming.
At US 60 two through hikers from 2004, Two Nickels, left a stocked cooler by the trail. I took a short break and enjoyed a Kit Cat Bar, orange, apple, and Coke before the last 2000' feet of my climb. It was very nice to come across some trail magic as there has been very little this far north.
Along the trail I ran into a couple groups, one of SOBO section hikers and another of boy scouts who told me McGyver was not far ahead. He and his family had their car parked at HogCamp Gap but when I got there they were gone already.
At that point I was getting tired and I decided that I should stop at the next good water source. That was almost 5 miles away and though it was a struggle it was beautiful. I went over some scenic balds and in the wooded areas the ferns were starting to sprout. They are a mesmerizing plants to watch bloom, they emerge a tight ball of leaves that unfurl over a few days unrolling from their stems progressively out to their tips.
When I got here to Piney Creek I was exhausted. The creek is west shaded valley and I was quite cold until I got into my sleeping bag. I did well setting up a bear hang, getting water, and pitching my tarp but when it came to making dinner I was a wreck. It took 5 matches to get my stove started the 5th one being one of my "In case of emergency water proof matches". Then I clumsily dumped water all over my stove while filling my pot an had to dump the stove out, refill it, and use one more match to get dinner cooking. Despite that fiasco I am very comfy in my sleeping bag looking forward to a restful day tomorrow.
