May 2, 2005 | Day 36 | Miles 20.4 | Total Miles: 397.2
End: Somewhere in the woods by a stream, unofficial campsite, Tent
Danielle:
Overcast and cool
We officially passed out of NC this morning. Yeah. 2 states down; only 12 to go :-) Actually we'll be out of TN in about 60 miles, and into VA. Now that's amazing. We're already talking about VA! Crazy. And at the beginning that seemed so far away. Funny how time flies. Just like the miles...
Now you see, we had planned a 15m day. But when we looked at the book at snacktime at Jones Falls--very cool, very high falls--we figured we could go a bit further and hit a campsite up the way 4 more miles, which was 2m more than planned. But we got there and the sites weren't that great and the book said there were a few options at 1m and 1.9m further, and it wasn't even 4pm, so on we went. Then at the first campsite, Papa Bear, a former thru-hiker who's out for just a section this year, was there and we chatted for a bit, but we figured we could go the extra 0.9m. So on we went. Except the book steered us wrong and there was no water at the site, so we kept going till we hit a stream, discussed the options and decided to fill all our bottles up and keep going until a good site. Worst come to worst, the book mentioned another site 2.5m away. It would have been a long day but it would be OK. So on we went again. Luckily, we found a flat spot on an abandoned road by a stream only about a half mile or so from where we'd filled up for water. Tank and Willow, 2 other former thru-hikers who are out doing just a section this year, are here too. We don't really know exact mileage for where we're at, but based on how far we are from our last known point, you got it-- an unintentional 20-mile day. Isn't it funny how these things happen :-)
Ryan:
mix of sun and clouds, cool
what a wacky day. it was a great day, but wacky. i'll sum up as best as possible. after we left the barn, which was the coolest shelter yet, we had a tough but fair climb over little hump and then hump mountain. both were balds with spectacular views. a local out for a couple days pointed out all the peaks, including mount mitchell and mount rogers. supposedly, longhorn steer graze on hump, but we only their leftovers. then we had a long descent, which included the nc/tn state line for the final time. we'd been bouncing between the two for a long time, but now nc is behind us. actually, we're almost to virginia...huh? how did i get here? we crossed a road, and then it got bizarre...open meadows, graveyards, trash filled ravines, atv tracks, an old road, rumors of fueding clans, remnants of a forest fire and lots of barbed wire. ahhh...tennessee. so far...just what i expected. best of all, our ole buddy wingfoot let us down today. wingfoot is the author of our guide book, and has hiked the trail a number of times. apparently, he's a bit odd. in any event, his book includes brief trail descriptions with mile markers, along with the locations of camping and water sources. well, if you ever make it down this way, there is no water source at the campsite .2m north of walnut mountain road. and, thus, our first unintentional 20 mile day. everything was fine, just not what we planned. but, flexibility is the name of the game out here. actually, we both feel relatively good this evening, but are looking forward to a mellow 12 miles to kincora hostel tomorrow. if it's really there...we've learned to not take wingnut literally.
May 3, 2005 | Day 37 | Miles 11.9 | Total Miles: 409.3
End: Laurel Fork Campground and Cabins, Hampton, TN
Danielle:
Sunny and cool
Another cool morning (what is this, New Hampshire in March? Brrrr), but sunny. It was a pretty mellow hike all day, with a few ups and a few downs thrown in to make things interesting. We did have an idyllic stop for lunch in this open field with Scavenger, Montana Gal, Catch 23 and Crazy Legs. Beautiful sunny spot for lunch with them playing frisbee and Scavenger singing and playing his guitar. Ahhhh... Now this is what every day would be like. But then it would be boring :-)
And now we're relaxing in this rustic cabin after a quiet dinner of pizza and ice cream here. There aren't many people at this place, as most people are down the road at another spot. We decided to come here over there so as to avoid the crowds a bit. Must be 30 people there. It's nice to have a bit of peace and quiet for a night. Back on the trail tomorrow morning :-)
Ryan:
sunny, cold am, warmer pm
it's may. it's tennessee. but, it's cold. since we left hot springs, we've had only one morning that was above 38 degrees. it's cold every morning. don't get me wrong, i like it cool, but crawling out of a sleeping bag when it's hovering around freezing is difficult. luckily, it has warmed up during the day. today was great. we stopped for lunch in a meadow. there was a frisbee and a guitar. it was an idyllic vision of the trail. just perfect. of course, it will probably hail again on friday. we had planned to stay at kincora hostel, but it was full. or, we knew it would be. people were practically running through the woods to get a spot...most of them didn't. it was crazy. we made the right choice to stay at laurel fork...less people, less chaos.
today's song - i'll just quote...
hiking the trail
high on pain pills
casey jones, you better watch your feet
mud up ahead
mud back behind
trudging through the muck, all of the time.
- thanks to the rambling ramblers for coming up with that...more on them later...
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