Friday April 12

Awoke to continued rain and the sound of people vomiting all around camp...a high tailed it out of there! Zag not feeling great, but not sick....headed to whistling gap..15 miles or so. Peepaw & rooster sick& planning to get a shuttle into Erwin today to convalesce...I'll bet Erwin is crawling with virus funk. It's my understanding that it's the northern border of the sick zone. I left zag at camp at 820 and haven't seen her since. Trail magic offered by "quiet Paul" at sams gap (I-26)..I had eggs and hashbrowns, muffins (orange coconut, walnut pistachio, cranberry) beautiful walk in the fog after the rain last night. Scenic highlight of today was going up and around big bald. The fig was being blown over by the high winds up there..I had to go up and over to get out of the wind to eat my lunch...so nice to lie back on the rocks in the warm sun out of the wind. I leap frogged with Teflon and Mouse today...I phased them as they sat and smoked, they passed me like I was sitting still...Teflon with no hiking poles, looked like he was floating down the trail with a full pack....I looked on with envy. youth is wasted on the young...tenting tonight with m80 again..we're equally paranoid about getting sick. I'm washing my face and hands with soap and water several times a day and using hand sanitizer as well...no shelters or privys...to Erwin tomorrow! Zag went ahead and got a shuttle into town today so she could rest...she needed it, too. She already picked up our boxes and had a room at the holiday in express...away from the hiker hostel! I'll go to the outfitter and get the shoe issue resolved, hopefully.
Dinner tonight: oatmeal, broccoli Tater chicken gratin...yum
Pics: foggy fence line; big bald views..look it's Kermit!