After the good lunch I hit the trail. After a mile I detoured a bit to check out Davis Cemetery. According to the sign it dates back to the early 1700s. Being the history nerd I am I had to check it out. Unfortunately, the oldest graves were very worn down but, I did get a picture of some others. After the cemetery I bumped into Nothing Man and Night Train twelve miles down the trail at a pavilion. Apparently, they had received trail magic a few hours earlier. As luck would have it though, I woke up the next morning to a repeat. Some very nice Methodists from various states and Pastor Alan cooked us some hot dogs and burgers. Come to find out, the hiker Hardtack is part of their group. After the good eat'in and company I finally hit the road at 12:30.
After a swim in a creek, a really long uphill, and 500 attacks by horse flies I made it to a beautiful bald and Chestnut Knob shelter. The view from the bald was amazing. Furthermore, the skies were clear and begging for some star gazing. Therefore, I set my tent and waited for darkness (9pm). Unfortunately, when I stuck my head out to check the view clouds had rolled in. Another hiker (Ghost) that was cowboy camping had said that the clouds had dispersed an hour later. However, I had passed out by 9:05 from exhaustion so I missed that show.
The next day I pumped out a brutal 15 miles. Why brutal? Because there were no good water sources for 9 miles and it was hot. I eventually made it to the creek near Jenkins shelter, drank a gallon of water, ate, and laid down for an hour. I tried to get a nap in but the horse flies wouldn't allow that. So what does a hiker do when he can't sleep or eat? He hikes... muhahaha.
After another grueling uphill and five miles I made it to Laurel Creek. I fully intended to camp there but, a hiker right behind me (dog-e-daddy) had called a gentlemen in town and he happened to show up 10 minutes into my break. His name was True Brit (yes he's British) and he had property close by which he was setting up as a wilderness survival school. The guy was former SAS and really cool. After talking about HALO jumping, pizza, and how Tinkerbell and Hump were camping there ... I was sold. The awesomeness didn't stop there... when we arrived at his place I found out that Roadkill, Bear Cloud, and Invictus were also there. I fully didn't expect to catch them for a few more days.
So what do a bunch of hikers do when they are chill'en with an ex British special forces guy? Eat pizza, drink beer, have bonfires, and play beer pong. Now ill tell you... I can't play basketball worth a damn but, I got some mad beer pong shooting skills. I took down all of the cups except the last two ... Hump bounced the ball in one for the two point clutch win. Unfortunately, the beer pong tournament died after two games so I didn't get to stand on the podium and receive my medal.
The next morning True Brit cooked us some bacon, eggs, and pancakes then drove us back to where he picked us up. After about 8 miles I ended up at hwy 51 (it's part of the trail) with Biscuit, Righty-Tighty, and Dog-e-daddy and guess what??? Some college kids driving by stopped and gave us two cold Bud Lights each. Trail magic!
After the beers I hiked up the trail another 7 miles and decided to make camp on a ridge top because my leg was annoying me again. Somehow in the process I ticked off three bees therefore, I'm huddled in my tent hoping they don't call for reinforcements. To end on a positive note, tomorrow I will hit 600 miles.
Whoooop
adventure after adventure. I thought you were supposed to be roughing it. glad to know you are enjoying your self. don't forget to bring me a souvenir
ReplyDeleteWhoop! Is cowboy camping the same as sleeping under the stars without a tent?
ReplyDeleteRoger that.
DeleteYes sir, that there is some good hiking.
ReplyDelete