April 15 - 16.2 / 361.3 miles

I got off to another late start today. I was planning to get going by 8, but when I woke up I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag. It was 9:30 by the time I left the shelter.

Nothing was too exciting for the first 8 or so miles. I was talking to Michelle about this the other night. I would have thought hiking all day would give my mind plenty of time to think about things and life. However, I get through the days and realized how I didn't really think about much. I think I spend most of the day recalculating how far it is to the next shelter, water stop, road crossing, etc. I also try to figure what rice and tuna combination I will be eating. Any time left over is spent singing the same line over and over again of no particular song. I think I just make up the words anyway.

We did go over Beauty Spot which was a nice open field. I thought I was going to get some trail magic from a car that had parked across the field. By the time I started to get close though, the vehicle pulled away. DS, Gilly, and I were the first to stop for lunch. It was a nice campsite that had a really good water source. When I say good, it was coming out of the ground about as strong as my bathtub at home. For some reason, DS and I were so amazed. Skywalker and Super Mike (probably going to be called Speed Stick now) joined us shortly after. I think all but SS ended up taking a nap.

Right after lunch, we had a 1,000 foot climb over Unaka Mtn. It wasn't that bad even though we had heard some stories about it. On the way up, I stopped and spoke with two gentlemen. They were out for a couple of days. At first, I saw the first guy just sitting on the trail. I thought this was going to be my first chance to really use my Wilderness First Responder training. He was just resting though. He asked if I could help carry his stuff up the trail (jokingly), but I told him I wasn't certified at that. I gave my blog to those guys. I hope they will take some time and check it out.

The top of Unaka was spectacular. The summit was covered in red spruce and the ground felt like I was walking on a trampoline. The spruces were perfect and were a snapshot of what New Hampshire and Maine will be like. Coming down Unaka I met an older couple. They were day hiking with their dog. I spoke with them for a few minutes and headed on. The five of us (all less SB and DM) met back up at the Cherry Gap shelter. We rested there for a short time. We planned to hike 4 miles, eat supper, and then hike 4 more before it got dark. However we stopped at the four mile mark, in an old apple orchard, to eat dinner and decided this was it for the night. We wanted to do more in order to get closer to Roan Mountain. Roan is about a 2,000 foot climb and the last time I will be above 6,000 feet until N.H. It is known as being the coldest spot year round on the southern part of the AT. All say don't send the winter clothes home until you cross over. I will have more history about Roan Mtn tomorrow. Tomorrow night we are planning to stay in the Overmountain shelter. Dark star has been talking about this one since the day we started. It is a converted two story barn that sleeps 20.

Ending the night, Danger Mouse and Stickerbush were able to catch up to us. They stayed in Erwin last night and didn't hike the as miles in. Therefore, the whole crew is together.

Finally, I did purchase some new trekking poles yesterday. My friend Elizabeth W. had given me another pair to start with. They were great, but I just felt like they were going to break at any second as the tips were getting pretty beat up and bent. I am letting DM use my old ones to figure out if she wants to have hers sent to her or not. So it all works out.

Have a wonderful evening. Keep the comment coming. They are a joy to read and also let's me know who is actually living through my feet as I live through His.

BowTie