Saturday April 27

Left shelter at 845ish..the boy scouts that tented here last night  are very polite and inquisitive. BSA TROOP 3 from Goldsboro, NC. They were telling us about all the cool stuff ahead on the trail as they hiked in from the north. One boy felt fairly sure that I would fit through  "fat man squeeze" and not have to go around...he did think about it before he answered...
Through Grayson highlands park today: more"ponies" (really just short legged horses that were used in the mines, saved from the glue factory by the workers after the advent of machinery to pull the carts up and out...)
More boy scouts, too. These were standing atop a rocky out crop singing a funny song full blast: "chicken in a biscuit dipped in mashed po-TA-toes".
Lunch at wise shelter..here, zag and I celebrated (with song and dance) walking 500 miles! "I would walk 500 miles" by the proclaimers...
Long horn cattle to walk through/around after scales Corral. Got to old orchard shelter(505.9) at 330. We leapfrogged with A group of older section hikers from Virginia (the Virginia creepers) all day and they are tenting here tonight. They brought us leftover fresh baked chocolate chip cookie after dinner..yum.
The nice boy scouts were here when I arrived. I let that one know that I made it through fat man squeeze with NO problem.
In the shelter tonight are AllTheWay (he's the guy that bought the custard and a did laundry together at Damascus), rango & torch (brothers from Rhode island...they don't know big Yank, but do know about that beer that he carried). Hammer , mallet & others are tenting. Supposed to rain tonight and all day tomorrow. To trimpi shelter tomorrow.
pics: zag & I with the ponies; an interesting piece of wood I found; long horn on the trail;

Friday April 26

So hard to get out of bed at 7 am for our 8am shuttle pick up. This little room at the Montgomery homestead has been so nice. Two twin beds with spindle posts, an enameled table between the beds and a floor lamp beside each bed. Very cozy, comfortable, homey...can you tell I didn't want to leave? Susie Montgomery runs the place and she was delightful.  She used to babysit for a woman that taught school in my hometown of Tallassee, Al. I don't often meet folks that know about my little hometown.
Gypsy Dave picked us up, gave us a driving tour of Damascus, then dropped us off where the AT Crosses hwy 58 just after lost mtn shelter. We hiked from mile marker 483.8 to 494.9, Thomas knob shelter. Morning break at buzzard rock, with techie and smiles. Lunch at elk garden with those two and Kay fox (we met her at the barn shelter), a new guy: Disciple  (startling resemblance my friend Joe Imp.) and his beautiful black dog Koi; Titan a young guy doing way too many  daily miles (30 ) and his body isn't liking it...go figure.  Afternoon break at Brier ridge. I say on a rock and just looked around..so beautiful and peaceful through here. Zag and I had dinner together on a rock behind the shelter..gorgeous views...big surprise today: ponies! I didn't expect them until tomorrow when we go through Grayson highlands..there were several red and white ones milling about the trail as I got close to the shelter, then there was a black once that was clearly no stranger to hikers with food at the shelter.
This is certainly one of the most scenic sections of the trail. Gentle climbs up whitetop  and Mt. Rogers. There were the most day- and weekend hikers on the trail..lots of foot traffic, the most I've seen on a Friday..nice to see so many people out and about..I bet it'll be crazy tomorrow. I hope there's not too much irresistible trail magic. I need to eat the food on my back! My food bag is extra heavy because I put a lot of birthday treats in there! Dinner tonight was mountain house new Orleans style rice with shrimp and ham; raspberry crumble for dessert. Thanks Rebecca and Byron! It was yummy!
Tonight there are a couple of older redneck men staying at the shelter. Smoking like trains (we actually had to tell them to not smoke in the shelter), taking about their illustrious "partying" career here and there..ugh. I finally had to put my earplugs in as they kept chatting it up at full volume and even got into an argument about something..Why thru hikers dread shelters on the weekend...
Philosophical thought of the day: that which I'd in your path becomes an obstacle when you're carrying a heavy burden, otherwise it's merely a stepping stone.
Pics: smiley being inspected by the shelter pony; view from dinner on rock behind shelter

Sunday April 28

Slept at old orchard shelter last night. I woke up sometime during the night drenched in sweat..it was dripping off the ends of my hair..wringing wet. But I didn't seem hot...I didn't feel bad (like a fever)..is this menopause or was I just having a weird thermoregulation issue? Humid and I'm in a 15 degree down bag..? I had to get up and walk to the privy to air out...when I got back to the shelter, I just used the silk liner for cover.
Up at 730am...out at 830. Hard to get moving when it's training. 5  miserable miles to hurricane mtn shelter. The off brand  athletic tape absolutely does not hold if it gets damp..comes off like wet spaghetti..the wet spaghetti inn my shoe tore the wet meat off my 4th toe on my right foot just as I  was approaching the shelter. After I took of my shoes and socks and fished all the soggy tape out, I was cold and shivering. I didn't want to hobble over to my pack to get my warm jacket because I didn't want to get any shelter
funk on my raw toe meat..thank goodness zag arrived and, quite literally saved my life. She made hot tea for me, have me my warm puffy jacket and some dry socks and a hug.  We ended up having an early lunch there, then walked together. We also decided to stay in Troutdale at the baptist hostel to be warm and dry for the night. This was my most miserable moment thus far. What made or even worse was that I had cell signal for the first time in a few days so I called home. Of course I started crying...my poor family. Hot flashes, crazy emotions...
We walked until we got to the highway at dickey's gap. Don't ever rely on one of us for hitching a ride. We must look awfully dangerous. Finally we just started walking down the side of the road. When I had signal, I called the hostel and they came to get us ( only 2 miles at that point). Titan and "Dan's brother" were  there. Showers attached to the back of the old baptist church Hostel bunkhouse  a separate building up on the hill. 2 sets of bunks in each room. I did laundry in the shower and hung it up in the room to dry.
I trimmed the loose skin of my toe, put a band aid blister dressing over the red raw meat, and wrapped it up with leukotape . Ahhh, much better.
Mary and Ken Riggins run the place. She brought her Sunday dinner leftovers for zag and I to eat (the guys had actually gone to eat with them at their house):
Spaghetti, chicken, green beans, cheese biscuits, no bake cookies.
  In the evening, a guy showed up on a bicycle (hiker &cyclist hostel). Sungduk just got his masters degree in geology from UNC, to start PhD in earth sciences in San Jose, CA in 2 months..so he thought he'd bike cross country.
We listened to This American Life podcast for a few hours.
About 9pm, we were hungry again and cooked up some hiker food : mountain house beef stroganoff.

Turned on the fan and slept like a baby.
Pics: titan and sungduk; sunset through the window; disciple (koi is his sweet black velvety dog) .

Thursday April 25

I forgot to tell you I went back to the outfitters yesterday (it IS across the street) to check for more mail:I had 5 more cards, the count is up to 27...
Zag woke up this morning saying: "I can't walk 16 miles..my toe is still killing me" so we decided to rent bikes and take a shuttle up the Virginia creeper trail...we rode 14 miles back to Damascus and will count that in our thru hike as the AT criss Crosses the creeper trail the while way down..it was the fastest and most fun 14 mike day yet! WE were like silly children..it was great..I squealed with delight several times. We met a few thru hikers that decided to hike up  the creeper trail instead of the AT...they were jealous we were riding DOWN the trail..pretty much coasting the whole way.
Newsflash: m80 got the virus. I wondered why they weren't jumping up and running down the mountain with us on Tuesday...I thought it was because they wanted some alone time on their 25th anniversary..nope. It's because he was vomiting and had diarrhea. Not a great way to celebrate....poor soul. I saw him at the pharmacy today..he feels a little better, but still not eating yet...hr thinks it's from willow chewing toilet paper then kissing him...goodness knows he had made every attempt to avoid contact with the shelters and other hikers. Poor willow the scape goat..I'd like to think that's the case, though. I really hope neither of us gets it. Ugh. Not being able to eat would be awful..never mine the gunk out both ends.
I had one more birthday card at the outfitter today. We took our boxes to the post office and stopped by the blue blaze for a beer. We also had lunch there after our ride..(I did only have a salad. ). The plan for tomorrow I'd to catch the 8am shuttle to hwy 58 past the lost mountain shelter and hike 11 miles to Thomas knob shelter, keeping us on schedule. 
Pics: our pitiful toes; me at a white blaze on the creeper; me and zag eating a gin gin (thanks J&d); zag@white blaze; silhouette of zags helmet head; Jeff @ Mt Rogers outfitters...keeper of my mail, hand Seamer of my backpack waist belt that was too big and just generally a nice guy.

Wednesday April 24

Zero day in Damascus!
Laundry was the big event of the day, followed by catching up the blog. I cooked some hiker food on the front porch while the storm rolled though...a lovely evening.
Pics: scenery from front porch of the Montgomery house where I spent the afternoon/evening wrapped up in a quilt on the sofa...

Tuesday April 23

Happy birthday to me!
Yank set his alarm for 6am...we all got up and were out of camp and walking at 7am...10 miles to Damascus...look out..here we come..I wanted birthday brunch and $1.50 tacos at the blue blaze cafe...Yank had one can of beer from his home state of Rhode island...he's carried it 40 miles to celebrate crossing into Virginia today. Today is also smiles' birthday...there's going to be a LOT of celebration today..
I practically ran down the mountain..poor Shutterbug trying to keep up with my determined long legs! I had to stay in front of her for a bit because I had a little crying spell early on. It's my birthday and I miss my mom..simple as that. So I got it mostly out of my system, then back down to the business of getting to town!
We had arranged to stop at the state line for a sip of Rhode island beer and pics. That was fun. Some hiker that's training for the PCT came by while we were standing around...he took out picture..we might be famous on the internet now..
We strolled into Damascus at 10:45...
There's a wooden archway to welcome hikers..as we were posing for pics I heard "hey, little girl, you need a ride?" And I thought "that sounds like bill" (bill is my woodturning mentor and good friend. I say he is one of a dying breed...a man that can make, fix, and do anything..a kind and patient man, a gentle and sweet soul)
Seems as though zag, shutter bug, m80& trooper had been keeping a secret from me for a few days and were all working together(UN successfully) to slow me down so that I didn't get to town before Bill was there..they didn't know he had gotten there a day early just to make sure.. He had been volunteering to do a supply run since we started, but our schedule was so unpredictable because of the weather in the smokies...when he heard my birthday was to be in Damascus, he jumped at the chance to drive up...he LOVES a road trip.
So e got a ride to the blue blaze cafe, had chocolate birthday cake followed by the "iron mountain breakfast " special: (get ready)
5 pancakes (I added chocolate chips to mine) alternated with bacon and sausage patty between each, 3 eggs on top, surrounded by "a moat of home style potatoes"..I had coffee. Oj to go.
I Almost finished it. Shared my cake with everyone. Smiles and I blew out the candles together..it's only fair he got to make a wish, too since it's his birthday, too!
After they brought out a wheelbarrow to cart me away from the table, I went next door to mount Rogers outfitters as rumor had it I had some birthday mail to pick up, plus our resupply boxes and bounce box. The guy at the counter laughed when I have him my name and asked me if I brought a hand truck...I thought he was kidding when he said I had 22 pieces...he was not.  It took all 3 of us to get my mail out of there. Next on the agenda  was finding somewhere to stay. We chose the Montgomery house b&B. susie was very tech savvy and texted me back...it was also super convenient..across the street. We got our room: 2 twin beds..bill and I say and pored over all my mail, sorted out the food for the next week and just talked about the logistics of thru hiking. Zag decided her woosy pinky toe was infected, so we all went to the clinic..she got a shot in the butt and a prescription for oral antibiotics...after that, bill decided he would head back home. I had concerns about such long back to back driving, but he did fine. He has a conversion van, so he can pull over and rest anywhere.
Tonight we went BACK to blue blaze for tacos with UV, whole bean and zags local contact  comet. Great tacos and beer for dinner. What a great day. One of the best birthdays I remember. I think it was just all the love I could feel. The most important thing. Love and be loved. There really is nothing else.
This trip may renew my faith in humanity after all.
Just don't turn on the TV. That helps a lot. Anytime it's on, it's spouting nothing but negativity. I don't need that. Do you?
Pics: our shadows at sunrise as we prepared to leave the shelter; me at the state line hello Virginia;  Yank with his beer; arriving in Damascus; iron mountain breakfast; zag getting a shot; me with all my birth day loot; me & Bill

Monday April 22

Iron mtn shelter to Abingdon gap 16 miles. Left camp at 845, lunch at double springs shelter at 1200 with m80, Yank, techie, zag ,Shutterbug.  I Arrived at Abingdon gap at 415.
440.8-448.4-456.7
Baptist trail magic today..a pin locked orange metal box with a cooler inside, a first aid kit and an empty snack box. I had a mountain dew..first soda I've had the whole time (except for the root beer float)
WE walked a bit on an "accessible" trail..just a gentle grade, compacted gravel trail that led right up to a farm, around the barn..lovely views. I imagined a farmer that could no longer get around very well and had this trail built so he could come out in his golf cart to keep a check on everything... It led up to a barb wire fence that we had to climb over via a little platform. On the other side was the pasture...of death.
The absolute highlight of the day( and maybe for the whole trip so far) was walking through this cow pasture, complete with mama and baby cows..
I had no problem with this, however, willow the dog did. She did not care for those big four legged bovines giving her the evil eye. M 80 had to finally just pick her up by her harness and carry her across the pasture. Not an easy task with pack, hiking poles and 45 pound scrappy -doo saying "lemme-at-'em " .! Trooper was hysterical walking along clicking her hiking poles together saying "no! Get back!" Everyone knows cows with new babies are very intimidated by skinny women brandishing little aluminum collapsible poles. once again, I wish I could share the video with you. My monologue is petty funny, too."we are walking through a cow pasture complete with cows...oh look, there's baby cows, too! Hey baby cows! Y'all are cute! Hey momma cow, don't mind me, I'm just gonna walk right between you two and go on my way... Looks like we're gonna have a face off...I'll just go around...oh look, another baby cow lying right by the post, on the trail...little stiff legged baby cow trying to walk..so cute"
My lord, you wouldn't know I actually grew up in the country..I sound like a babbling city idiot!
We made it safely over the fence..poor willow had to be handed off over the fence like a package of contraband moonshine...we laughed the rest of the way and said if that farmer didn't have a hidden camera, he ought to get one!
In the shelter: techie, Yank, Shutterbug, me, zag; m80 in their Taj Mahal; Englishman smiles tenting (his birthday is tomorrow, too...but only 24)
Pics: baptist trail magic; me on the farm (before the pasture)..you can see the accessible trail in the background

Sunday April 21

Hiked with zag, shutter bug, m 80, trooper and willow today to iron mtn shelter. Lots of "Bob Peoples" graffiti on the shelter walls through here: BP sleeps with a pillow under his pistol;  BP hunts chuck Norris; gives boots blisters; bites snakes; Jesus asks BP  for forgiveness; the mice bring BP food;..on & on..you get the idea, but it's fun to read and see how creative people are. Makes you want to think of one, too, doesn't it?!
I'm looking forward to my birthday in Damascus. Shutter bug says the blue blaze cafe has $1.50 tacos on Tuesday.
At the iron mtn shelter tonight: me, zag, techie, big Yank, boomerang (Sobo) (Sobo=southbound) Sobo says he's doing 25-30 miles a day because he's ready to be done..how miserable is that? Dinner tonight: ham n spinach Mac n cheese, oatmeal appetizer, dessert was hazelnut chocolate wafer.
To Abingdon gap tomorrow then to Damascus!
Pics: "safety bob" at watauga dam gave us apples and bananas; shutter bug and me pose above Wilbur lake

Saturday April 20

We passed the 420 mile mark on 4/20...how exciting, right? Doesn't take much to thrill a thru hiker...
Left the kincora hostel at 830
We started our day by hiking down to laurel falls..fun hike. I enjoy a little rock climbing every note and then..a bit tricky with a pack on, though. After passing the falls, it was up and over one hill..pond flats...had lunch there at 12:30...I've been trying to hang my shirt on my hiking poles during lunch so the sweat can dry..I put on my green jacket and sit in the sun out of the wind so I don't get cold. If it's warm enough, I'll hang my socks out too and let my toes and shoes air out...if there's a log handy, I'll stretch out on my back and let my arms hang back to stretch my chest....today I just hung out my shirt.
Shanty town came in a bit later and whistler gave me a boiled egg..yum. I like eggs just about any way you prepare them. Potatoes, too..hard to mess up either one.
Wandered down the mtn to watauga lake where I found a little trail magic (it is Saturday) of fresh fruit: banana, navel orange, herseys dark chocolate nuggets with almonds, caprisun juice drink..ate one of each and took an orange and banana with me for tomorrow.
I walked with star man from the lake to the shelter. The trail was flooded by the high lake level..several foot bridges were submerged in 6 inches of water so we had to walk on the road a bit to get around the lake. Star man just ate dinner at the shelter then walked on a bit more so he could get to Damascus sooner.
Tonight it's me, zag, shutter bug. M80, trooper and willow caught up with us tonight at the shelter..they tented, of course, still attempting to avoid the virus...and because of willow.
There is a meteor shower this week, we may try to see it if we awaken during the night.
Tomorrow we will go 14 miles from here (426.8) to iron mtn shelter(440.8) lunch at Vanderventer shelter (434)
Pics: me crossing bridge on the way to laurel falls; zag in front of the falls; star man having dinner at the shelter & my little spot all set up...

Friday April 19

Left the  vango hostel at 815 and made it 6 miles to Moreland gap shelter@10:15 woo hoo 3mph! Never did storm last night..could've made it to this shelter last night! Oh well.  So the approaching storm this morning motivated us to walk so fast! we waited the storm out in the shelter with "steps"( nice lady from Indiana section hiking) for 5 hours. I had just enough cell coverage and battery to text a little and play "words with friends" I love that game. It was nice to just wrap up in my rain gear, hunker down in the back of the shelter and let it rain..so relaxing..I probably would've napped if I hadn't been distracted with my electronic device.
Zag and I left the shelter about 3 pm and made it to the kincora hostel at 545...did laundry and showered, ate one of my dehydrated meals for dinner (couscous with veggies and spicy chicken meatballs). We retrieved our resupply box and bounce box when Seiko finished all the shuttle runs to town. Shutter bug is here and will forward our bounce box to Damascus for us in the morning. This place is owned buy a guy named bob peoples, some sort of local legend. He does trail maintenance and has been a huge friend to the hiking community for years and years. Really neat hostel..feels good..good energy.
Folks here: shanty town, toast & rusty (today is toast's birthday and rusty made her dinner and a little birthday cake) hammer and mallet (I did their laundry...so I could get mine done..nice guys..hammer looks like Stephen Fletcher (yoga instructor and massage therapist at home)
Tomorrow to 428.6..watauga lake shelter from 416.8 Dennis cove road.up and over a 2000 ft mtn.
Pics: me at milepost  404 at turnoff for Vango hostel,  AT sign at most road crossings,

Thursday April 18

Huge yummy breakfast! I know you have some concern about the amount of food I eat when it's available, but I'm here to tell you, it's physically impossible to carry enough food to replace the calories I'm burning every day! Anyway, here's what Mary served (and we ate): strawberries stuffed with pineapple cream cheese, shrimp 'n grits, monkey bread, French toast with pecans and honey, egg casserole, corn casserole, strawberry cake, poached pears, biscuits & sausage gravy, smoked sausage, roasted potatoes with green beans...coffee and ok. I had 2 "mochas". Sat with energizer turtle (E.T. for short) and her husband, spider. They are section hiking three AT, and have previously hiked the PCT...no small feat! Delightful couple.
Then we went for a little 13 mile stroll. Now we have walked 404.6 miles! That is so crazy! I can't even believe it.
Tonight there is foul stormy weather predicted so we decided to stay at the vango/abbey memorial hostel, Scotty "trekkie" runs the place. Nice guy, seems lonely, though. Zag and I rented the upstairs suite for $25 total. Our room was full of lady bugs, so I removed the screens from 2 windows to set them free. Why I'd it so hard to get the screens back on? Downstairs was full with 6 stinky amusing boys and smelled like mildew. Poor little shutter bug came along am hour or so later and needed some where to rest, so we rented the roll away bed in our suite to her for $10. We saw Et& spider twice today: once resting by a log and during lunch at Jones waterfall...also saw 2 snakes today..eek! One was just laid out across the trail and wouldn't move, so we went around it. Looked like a baby so I wondered where mom and siblings were...the other was a nice black snake laid up in the leaves of the trail, minding it's own business, so I did the same. 12 miles to kincora hostel tomorrow.
Pics: "humen" with bunny mask (nice guy we walked with today..he saw the snakes, too); clever girl and her man dump truck..he dislocated his shoulder and is now wearing an immobilizer and having to slack pack..super nice and fun folks. their group of 6 or so is calling itself "shanty town"; zag by Jones falls

Wednesday April 17

Zag and I walked together all day and it was nice. Woke up at 5am to the sound of pouring rain on the barn roof...no leaks noted from my spot in the hay loft. I waited until about 8 when the rain let up a bit so I could go out to pee without getting soaked..the sun actually came out as we were packing up. Here's the trail messing with us again: a soon as we started walking (we didn't make it 100 yards) not only did the skies open up with a deluge of rain,BUT we had the additional fun of thunder and lightening. You know what we did....we turned around and high tailed it right back to the barn. No fried owl for brunch today! We sat on the back platform and played cards (hearts) with rusty & toast; UV, bean & mazy just hung out and watched the storm roll over. Big Yank had left a few minutes before us so I know he got drenched in his kilt! It was spectacular to watch the colors in the valley change as the sky morphed from sunny to rainy to foggy mist.
We finally left about noon.and walked 9.9 miles to mountain harbor b&b. On the way, we climbed up and over little hump and hump mtn and the rest was down hill. Typical beautiful mountain terrain. I showed zag a blood root flower and we wondered what these budding trees alongside the trail are..
   We were racing the clock a bit due to the weather delayed start...there is a 5 pm shuttle to the town of Roan, TN, for dinner, etc and we arrived at 445... We were able to shower first as there were too many hikers to fit in the back of the pick up truck..so he had to make a few runs..I believe that man was intoxicated...but we made it. Ate some great bbq at highlander's. Of course our eyes were bigger than our bellies...I always try to eat some fresh produce..so I ordered the"shredded lettuce" salad...had to bring it back to the house. Some how I found room for a root beer float, though..funny how that happens, huh?
Walked up hump mtn a bit with "chaser".
At the hostel tonight: rob, bearfoot, librarian (was also at barn..a bit opinionated) UV & family, big Yank tenting outside;
Laundry done while we were at dinner..$3 and totally worth it.
To have a deluxe breakfast in the morning & looking forward to it.
I found a pair of marmot leggings in the hiker box..I will sleep in them and may walk in them underneath my shorts.
Zag and I reworked our plan to increase the miles this week as the terrain profile is flattening out a good bit. Not FLAT by any means, but much better... Should be in Damascus on my birthday!
Pics: resident billy goat at mtn harbor; budding tree common along trail; storm rolling in over barn shelter valley;mazy

Tuesday, April 16

Made it!
(Something to know about me: my absolute favorite time of day is when everything is done and I lie down to rest and take a nice deep breath and exhale a big sigh of relief. its such a wonderful feeling to me to be "done".)
We  left camp about 815 am and  i arrived at over mountain shelter at 415. This is the coolest shelter yet. Its an old barn that has been converted into a shelter. Downstairs is a walk through"hallway" with a 3 sided room off to the side...like a typical shelter with 2 huge plywood platforms and a gorgeous view of the valley (see pics). Upstairs is the hayloft: just a big open floor area and one end wall has an opening covered with a tarp. I took half the tarp down to let in some light and breeze...and to watch for zags arrival. This shelter is 0.3 miles OFF the trail..that's a long way at the end of a 15 mile day when I'm tired and my feet hate me.
Thank goodness its only 9 ish miles to the hostel tomorrow!
    I heard a bird call last night that I've never heard before. It was so lovely...I just had to stand quietly and listen for several minutes. I heard it again while walking today and videoed it to record the sound. I caught a glimpse of the bird but haven't been able to identify it. I wish I could share the song with you, but posting a video doesn't seem to be an option.
I took my morning break at the site of the old Cloudland hotel. A very posh destination in the late 1800s. It was dismantled on the 40s, and the extravagant furniture was distributed across Tennessee and north Carolina. I took off my shoes and socks and shirt and laid out in the sun on a picnic table for about 30 minutes and ate some fruit and nuts...the bathrooms were locked as its a seasonal attraction, but bear proof trash cans were there and its always a treat to get to dump your trash....think  used toilet paper and baby wipes, eaten out of zip lock bags that contained dinner...good stuff to ditch at the first opportunity....bear bait.
    Going up roan mtn, the trail was a stream bed...so glad it wasn't raining or I would've been going STRAIGHT UP the side of the mountain in calf high water...upstream.
    I walked down roan mtn with"great legs" (no, I didn't check out his legs...) It was like dancing over huge chunks of gravel  (golf ball to soccer ball sized) with a 33# pack on my back...doesn't make for happy  feet and ankles...
Ate lunch on top of Round bald...nice to relax and eat with a great view of the mountain I just went over!
  Well, its about 645 and zag is almost here (she sent me a text)....I did some push-ups and stretches...which is sadly rare...usually I'm just too tired...
  In the barn tonight: rob from England; UV, whole bean & mazy the dog;  rusty and toast; and some others I don't know yet...
Tomorrow its only about 10 miles to our destination: mountain b&b
Pics: tree creature; approaching the barn shelter; view of valley from lower level;  lunch view from round bald

Sunday April 14

Plan today is to head out of Erwin, TN. Woke up at 6am, took 3 ibuprofen since I could feel the menstral cramps coming on..how delightful...went back to bed until 8 to allow the meds to work (while I have a bed with pillows for perfect positioning). 
One of the best ideas ever, in my humble opinion, is free breakfast at a hotel. And I don't mean prepackaged processed little blueberry muffins. I mean cereal, bagels, eggs, sausage, biscuits, oatmeal, fruit....on and on. A recent discovery has been a "ghetto mocha": a package of hot chocolate mixed with a cup of coffee....yum...so I went down to the lobby to use the computer to purchase and print out postage labels for our bounce box...forward to kincora hostel, and one box home with "stuff" in it...my 0.5 L platypus, hose and bite valve,  underwear and socks, old receipts, a sweet note of thanks...zag sent home some extra food. I ate a strawberry pop tart from zag and drank my "mocha" while I figured out how to print the labels. After taking the labels upstairs I came back down for actual breakfast food (I'm in no hurry today): toasted wheat bagel with cream cheese and jelly on half, peanut butter on half , a banana, some yogurt, 3 cups of oj....and another mocha..I sat at the table and typed up my blog..trying to catch up on the last week. Goat came down to say goodbye and gave me his 2L platypus.  His wife was on her way up from Sarasota, FL to pick him up. I was sad that he was done, but happy he was going to be taken care of. The breakfast lady was very kind to give me some bleach to clean my water filter. I wandered back upstairs about 10 am, went back to bed and finished my blog updates... We were so worthless, we finally left the hotel at 11:30am!  We had to walk a mile down the road to get back to the trail. We hiked 13.9 miles today! Windy and overcast, rain threatens. We stopped about 1 mile short of our original destination as it had started to rain.. put up our tents as quickly as possible...(.got to the campsite about 630.).I was able to call home on the way up to beauty spot..so nice to hear a sweet, loving voice, full of encouragement..

I continue to learn:
things to always do in  town:
wash sleeping pad with soap and water,
wash hiking pole handles with soap and water,
Wash out nalgene (yep...soap & water)
Air out platypus...back wash Sawyer filter and bleach if able..

The wind is howling through the treetops again tonight and there is a tree creaking nearby...I hope it stands strong all night!
Zag & I had a great day today. I feel like we've worked out what we need to do to be able to get where we need to be in June.
Tomorrow we go 15.9 miles to Clyde Smith shelter.
Pics: following zag down the road out of Erwin; standing on railroad tracks outside of town (we saw 3 deer just after crossing the tracks); warming my sore feet with hot oatmeal after a long day...

Monday April 15

Didn't rain too much last night...out of camp at 9am..foggy and wet.
UV, whole bean, their dog mazy  were at the campsite with us last night. Lesson of the day yesterday was"always test new equipment while still at the hotel! The new  6 L platypus is a "big zip"..has a huge zip lock contraption along the top..like a giant ziplock bag with carrying handles...once it's UN zipped, it's a real pain in the butt to get it closed...every time I think I've got it shut, it sneaks open again...it's a good thing goat have me his 2L that is much easier to manage with the filter attached than an unzipped 6 L...the 6 L is great for one trip to the water source, though!
     Today was Up and over Unocoa mountain..through a thick spruce forest..nice pics below. we left late and stopped often for photo ops and for a little  breathing..lots of climbing today. Lots of blood root blooming and something else that looks a little like lady slippers..lots of little blossoms dangling off of one lateral stem (see pics) another one I keep seeing has a single yellow flower..the petals turn up, leaving the reproductive system hanging down toward the ground...comes up from a single speckled leaf.
God continues to take care of me: when I couldn't walk anymore and prayed for the shelter to be the next thing I saw, I crested a hill and saw a man in a blue shirt sitting and having lunch..and I thought "well that wasn't on my wish list"..so I go over to talk to him and what do you know...he's sitting by the sign for the shelter..it was too far for him to walk  0.2 miles to the shelter to eat lunch, so he just sat down by the sign....
Tomorrow it's up and over roan mtn..14.7
Pics:  magical spruce Forest ; wild
Flowers...anybody know what they are?