Craig and Suzy's 2006 Appalachian Trail Journal

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Day	Date	Start	Finish	Miles	Journal	Photo
43	4/29	Erwin, TN	Erwin, TN		Day: 43 Date: 4/29/06 Start: Erwin, TN Weather: Partly cloudy Finish: Erwin, TN Miles: 0 trail / about 5 walking in town Cumulative A.T. Miles: 338.7 Clay: After a fairly restful night, our "zero" day started at 6:15 AM. By 7:20 AM we were out the door. Today we have to go to the supermarket, CVS, Cingular, laundromat, USPS, Miss Janet's (for fuel). The problem is that some of these places are over a mile from each other. In a car, that is not a problem. On foot, it takes a while. By 8 AM, Branch was shopping for food and I was troubleshooting our phone problems at a Cingular store abut 3/4 of a mile away. By 9 AM I had walked back to meet Branch. Branch then went to CVS to burn picture CDs (to go along with our web journals) and I got on a pay phone to call Cingular Technical Support. Suzy's job took two hours because of a slow machine and slower personnel! So, having the phone fixed now, I started returning missed calls to our support team and others. By 11 AM, we were heading to the Post Office--about a mile or so away. We received no less than 5 packages today from folks! After writing 'thank you's, we were out of the USPS by noon. We were the penultimate customer. After noon we started walking to Miss Janet's Hiker Hostel for fuel and fellowship (about .3 mile from the USPS). The place was packed with hikers--most of which we knew. After saying hello to our hiking buddies, we greating by our friend Nokia. We have seen him in nearly every town or gathering since Neel's Gap in Georgia. He is working at Miss Janet's today and he was so very kind to us. We needed fuel and he gave us his own fuel for free. We tried to pay him for the fuel but he would not accept the payment. So, we gave him a bag of my mother's cookies that she had sent to us today. The cookies were made with a special ingredient--a smattering of extra love. So, I thought that Nokia would like this. Nokia and I had a good, but short, conversation about Christianity and Buddhism today. Our exchange was warm, honest, and respectful in tone and I felt honored to talk with this fine fellow about such an important topic. I can't wait to discuss difficult matters with him in Damascus. He is a funny, fun-loving, deep fellow. By 2 PM, we were up the road a mile doing laundry (thank you Miss Janet for the lift!). While doing the laundry we were writing letters, reading the Bible, and making calls. By 3:30, we started walking back to the hotel (1.5 miles away). We said hello to some hikers and we made a pit stop to get some pie and ice cream. By 4:30, we were back at the hotel. At the hotel we were not finished working. Branch prepared meals for the next 5 days and I journaled and wrote e-mails. It is now 5:30 and we are taking a break. Today was tougher than a day on the trail. We walked about 5 miles today and did our chores. We plan to be in Damascus, VA in about 10 days. We are excited about cresting Roan Mountain, visiting Elizabethton, Hampton, and Shady Valley, TN.
44	4/30	Erwin, TN	Erwin, TN		Day: 44 Date: 4/30/06 Start: Erwin, TN Weather: Rain, overcast Finish: Erwin, TN Miles: 0 Cumulative A.T. Miles: We stopped working at 7 PM last night. By 7:30 we had finished dinner. Branch was asleep by 7:50 PM for the duration of the night. We were exhausted. It was not a restful zero day. This morning we went to Huddle House and had a good breakfast. We are taking another zero for a few reasons. We have more work that we need to do and we need to rest. We will be on the trail for 9 days straight--until we get to Damascus, VA.
45	5/1	Erwin, TN	Cherry Gap Shelter, TN	16.4	Day: 45 Date:5/1/06 Start: Erwin, TN Weather: sunny, blue skies, mild temps Finish: Cherry Gap Shelter, TN Miles: 16.4 Cumulative A.T. Miles: 355.1 Branch: The first day out of town is always a tough one for me. My pack is laden heavy with food, so far there has always been a pretty significant climb associated with leaving a town, and the law of inertia is in effect with my body (that is a body at rest will stay at rest--and that's exactly what I want to do). Today was no different for me. In fact, I think it was probably the toughest so far. The skies were blue, the birds were singing, and Spring was in the air, but, sadly, my mood was not at all cheery. Poor Clay tried to no avail to lift my spirits. Imagine my surprise when we got to our planned destination for the day, and Clay suggests that we climb another 1500 feet and hike another 5 miles. Imagine my even bigger surprise when I found myself actually doing it! As I climbed up the unplanned monster of a hill (Unaka Mountain, 5180') I found my mood actually lifting. By the time we got to the top, I was enjoying myself for the first time of the day. God truly caused me to be thankful for my wise and patient husband today. I am so blessed to have him as my hiking partner.   Clay: When we got to Cherry Gap Shelter (4400'), we knew no one. However, everyone knew Salt and Light (now "Social" and "Dandylion"). They said that they did another 27 mile day into Erwin and that they are staying at the Holiday Inn. It sounds like they will be catching us soon. That will be fun to see them. Our food bags are the heaviest they have ever been. The portions are getting larger-- very exciting. Tonight it was neat to see Zoomer reading C.S. Lewis' _The Problem of Pain_. We asked her a number of questions about the book. The group was fun around the camp fire tonight. Tomorrow we may summit Roan Mountain (6275'). We'll see how the terrain goes. Good night and God Bless.
46	5/2	Cherry Gap Shelter, TN	Clyde Smith Shelter, TN	8.8	Day: 46 Date: 5/2/06 Start: Cherry Gap Shelter, TN Weather: Very odd--super cloudy then sunny, very windy. Hot then cold...hot then cold. No rain Finish: Clyde Smith Shelter, TN Miles: 8.8 Cumulative A.T. Miles: 363.9 Branch: We woke up leisurely this morning and took until 8:30 AM to get out of the shelter. We had planned to do a 13 or 15 mile day to get up Roan Mountain. However, when we got to the shelter at 1:30 PM, there were several factors that helped us change our plan. First, Clay heard on the radio that there is a pretty good chance of thunderstorms tonight. Second, I felt like finishing the last 5 miles of a 15 mile day by climbing Roan would be a bit too much of a stretch for me. Last, the thought of laying around, napping, and reading a while was way too tempting. Five hikers napped! These reasons actually kept another 5 hikers here tonight as well. So, we hung around all afternoon, took a much needed nap, and read a few pages of Ravi Zacharias's _Jesus Among Other Gods_. It was great! I'm sure I'll hike better tomorrow having rested today. Tonight we enjoyed a huge fire and some nice company. Clay: A certain family tradition in Jeremiah 35.7 said, "You must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards...you must always live in tents." The above verse was a family tradition. The particular family followed it without failing. Later in the chapter, God uses this tradition to show that people will follow lesser rules. So, why not follow His higher rules? In the Bible, the wilderness is not where people wanted to be. The once captive Jews were led out of slavery and into the wilderness. Many of these people never experienced the Promised Land because of sin. As a metaphor, the wilderness is where we are taught a lesson, where we are tempted, or where we are tested. As I am writing you while laying in a dark, windy shelter tonight the same holds true in the wilderness of the Appalachian Trail. People come out here and their virtues are tested. They are tempted by a myriad of things, events, and people. Hopefully, these people in the wilderness will learn lessons while out here. The wilderness is a rough and tough place. We are not meant to reside here.
47	5/3	Clyde Smith Shelter, TN	Overmountain Barn Shelter, TN	12.9	Day: 47 Date: 5/3/06 Start: Clyde Smith Shelter, TN Weather: Windy with blue skies and puffy clouds Finish: Overmountain Barn Shelter, TN Miles: 12.9 Cumulative A.T. Miles: 376.8 Clay: Today was exam day in the Southern Appalachians. Today we traversed Roan Mountain. We woke up at 6:30 AM (first up in the shelter) and we were out by 7:40 AM. The first climb was Little Rock Knob (4918'). We gained about 500' in a mile to crest this knob. The fog was dense as we began the day. By the time we descended into the Hughes Gap (4040'), it was time to climb Roan Mountain (6275'). Roan is the last 6,000' mountain on the A.T. until we get to New Hampshire. So, to me, today was sort of an exam of what we have done so far. As we climbed, the fragrance of the Spruce trees permeated the air. I have always loved their short needles, the neat forest floor underneath them, and the shadows that they cast. Branch was strong today, the short day yesterday was like a balm to our joints, muscles, and to our emotions. She pushed hard over Roan, Round Top Bald, and the other balds today. We finished strong into the picturesque Overmountain Barn Shelter tonight. Unfortunately, most people are smoking weed and drinking here tonight. So, real reflection is at a minimum here in the barn. Branch: Clay and I were the first in the shelter tonight, so we had several minutes alone to take in the incredible view. This is probably the most picturesque shelter on the trail so far. Sitting alone and taking in the scenery, I was strongly reminded that the God who is powerful, artistic, and majestic enough to create all that surrounds me also loves me and genuinely cares about the minuet details of my life. This is an awesome realization to have while surrounded by His incredible creation.
48	5/4	Overmountain Barn Shelter, TN	US 19E/Mountain Harbour Hostel	8.7	Day: 48 Date: 5/4/06 Start: Overmountain Barn Shelter, TN Weather: Morning--clear blue skies and light winds. Afternoon--showers. Finish: US 19E/Mountain Harbour Hostel Miles: 8.7 Cumulative A.T. Miles: 385.5 Clay: Branch woke me up this morning at 6 AM and we were out of the barn by 6:50. The morning sun cast beautiful shadows in the valley that the barn overlooked. Today we crossed several Tennessee balds. From each bald you could see the next bald and the surrounding mountains. The sky was blue and the weather was spring-time cool. By the time that we reached the peak of Hump Mountain, we could see the entire downward-sloping curve of the ridgeline that we would traverse over the next few hours. We could even see the city that the ridge gently pointed to below. It was breathtaking. We did the 8.7 miles by 11:45 AM. As we left the last bald, I turned back to them and took off my hat, revealing my bald head in honor of them. Branch: As always, we prayed that God would provide the right hitch. We'd heard rumors that the locals in this area are not usually very friendly to hikers. So when we waited 30 minutes for a hitch and saw dozens of cars pass us by, we began to pick up our packs and prepared to begin the walk into town. As we picked up our packs, one last car came over the hill and I stuck out my thumb in one last attempt. Surprisingly, the nice lady put on her blinker and pulled over! By 12:40 we were at the Snack Shack in Roan Mountain, TN excitedly ordering huge double cheeseburgers, fries, and cokes! When we finished with round one, Clay ordered and finished another huge double cheeseburger and I ordered and finished a banana split. We laughed and giggled and munched happily for about and hour. As we ate, dark clouds began to fill the sky. We finally peeled ourselves from the bench where we'd been eating and walked across the parking lot the the grocery store. However, upon closer examination, we came to realize that the store had recently gone out of business! Soon, we also realized that there were no other grocery stores within walking distance. Trying to make the best out of the situation, we made some phone calls from a nearby pay phone and watched the dark clouds roll in over the bordering mountain range. As the clouds reached their darkest, we caved in and called the hostel. Hostel-owner Terry came to pick us up immediately and he rolled up just as huge drops of rain began to pound from the sky. He took us to a small, country grocery store to resupply and then to his beautiful hostel. We are now sharing this small house above a horse-filled barn with Dick Tracy and Nifty. I fell like we are in luxury with a couch, hot shower, stove, movies, and even a queen-sized bed that Clay and I can share. This is by far one of the nicest hostels I have ever seen. Tomorrow, we are going to try to hike about 18 miles to get closer to being back on target for our hike. That kind of mileage will require some rest. So we better get to bed. Goodnight.
49	5/5	US 19E/Roan Mountain, TN/Elk Park, NC	Moreland Gap Shelter, TN	17.7	Day: 49 Date: 5/5/06 Start: US 19E/Roan Mountain, TN/Elk Park, NC Weather: Drizzle morning, overcast early afternoon, rain late afternoon Finish: Miles: Cumulative A.T. Miles: Clay: When we got to the shelter, Rael and Miles (probably distantly related to us) were there. They were soaked too. The rain was driving past the overhang and into shelter. We put on dry clothes and we discussed the hiking day. Soon, Nifty joined us. We all made room for more drenched hikers to make their way in. As the rains subsided, dinner was being cooked, and the conversations began to warm the shelter. Tonight, they wanted to talk about objective moral values. One person remarked that moral values were culturally dependent and derived. James Rachel's wrote a very good article against this line of reasoning. His article is found online and in some introduction to ethics classes. I conjectured that objective moral values do exist and if we can name even one, my case is made. So, I named two. One classic objective moral value is that it is always morally wrong to molest or torture an innocent child for fun. One person continued to posit that there is a culture that might believe that it good to molest or torture innocent children for fun. I retorted that the culture that she is speaking of is NaMBLA--the National Man Boy Love Association. I continued that just because this particular pedophilic culture held the belief that molestation was good, in fact, molestation of innocent children for fun is always wrong. The culture does not matter. The child in this case does not see the molestation as good. In fact, the child will probably need psychological counsel. We also talked about Hitler's Jewish genocidal culture. A second, somewhat japing, case was that it is always wrong to murder and eat Grandma. This is why Hindus do not eat cows. They believe that the cow is their relative! A similar belief is held in the Janist religion. Janist carry brooms and sweep wherever they walk. This is because they want to move ants and other insects out of their path so that they won't step on them. They don't want to step on the insects because they believe that they are their relatives. So, they don't want to unintentually kill their relatives or intentionally murder them by stepping on them. So, it seems that objective moral values transcend cross-culturally. The conversation tonight was warm, respectful, and fun. We may continue our conversation tomorrow night at Watauga Lake Shelter. Two owls are hooting and calling each other near our tent. So, suppose that it time for bed.

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