4/9 Got to Hot Springs, stayed at Elmer's Sunny Banks Farm, very nice hostel. Ate all day, resupply, took a long soaking bath, I love baths, I get to soak in my own juices.
4/10 1115 Hours: I have chills, nothing major, came back, Elmer's was full, so, I went to the Hiker Hostel, They're new, I hope they do well. Today was a cold day.
4/11 1947 Hours: Did 6.6 miles, sick as a dog, nippy out, breezy, blue sky. Went pass Spring Mountain Shelter, can't even think straight right now
4/12 0545 Hours: Cough all last night, time to get going. Did 6 miles yesterday and 6 the day before, it took everything I had to do them.
0909 Hours: Last two days was the hardest, after the Blueberry Patch, the most pain, I have only done 1/10 of the trail. Between N C 208 and Old Hayesville Rd., blow downs that you read about
1217 Hours: Past, Little Laurel Shelter a while ago, I'm on Camp Creek Bald, beside a side trail going to a fire tower, which I slept at in '95, quite the climb to here
2030 Hours: Jerry Cabin, been here for a while. Today, my head has been swimming. There's snow, I went, 13.8 miles, tired
4/13 0945 Hours: I'm at the Shelton graves, Two Yankees, join with their cousin, who was 13, returning home from the war, ambush.
1308 Hours: Just filled my water bottles after stopping for lunch at Flint Mountain Shelter, guess three days of storms are coming
1415 Hours: 2.7 miles, at Devil Fork Gap, good time
1443 Hours: Crossed, Boone Cove Road, I have a radical uphill of three miles. Took my shirt off, ate a snickers, got a litre of water, good to go. Thought it was raining, but, it's these young grasshoppers, about a quarter inch long, can't guess how many, but for 10 yards around me the ground is moving, quite the sound.
1630 Hours: Still climbing.
1910 Hours: Hogback Ridge Shelter, took a while to get water, cooking my meal, reading the shelter's journal, this entry catches my eye; When I was a child, I use to be afraid of monsters, it wasn't until I became a man, that I began t see the monsters that dwell in my imagination past was no more then the reflection of me, man begets the beast, beast dwells in the heart of men, it's rooted in our nature before we began. Women process the blood of the dragon slayer, for without fear, they contain the beast with the whole of me and the depths of she. It teaches me patience's, from that, calm, I find inner peace. A lonely man is a dangerous weapon. A woman, is the only one who can save him from the wrath of himself.
2138 Hours: Wind's howling, and I got my tent under a dead tree, smart, too sore, too tired, bad thinking, this is where things go, bump, in the night.
4/14 0700 Hours: It's raining, time to move.
1206 Hours: Sitting here at Sam's Gap. Just had a huge meal, ham+cheese omelet, double cheeseburger, two orders of French fries, two large milks and a slice of coconut cream pie, then, climb Big Bald, Yaa Hoo.
4/15 0834 Hours: On the move.
1316 Hours: Left Spivey Gap, great day, dose myself at the brook. Saw my first turkey of the year, about thirty yards ahead, one look at me, gone, hunting season.
1452 Hours: I have no business being at this shelter, the name of this shelter, No Business Shelter, ha ha ha.
2100 Hours: Temple Hill Gap, got my tent up, I am so tired, did over 50 miles in four days, but being out here, seeing how the earth cramp with heaven and every common bush afire with God. But only the ones who see, takes off their shoes.
4/16 0443 Hours: I'm on the move, slight rise, just don't want to step off around here. At the top, going down to Erwin, tenn., oh how these spider webs, so many, getting in my eyes, guess I'm the first one this morning, ha ha ha. Now I'm officially in Tennessee
I crossed Chestoa Bridge. I’m trying to hitch a ride to go and have breakfast, no luck. So I took the trail to NOC-NGC hostel, a little over a mile before I’m there. Starting to rain, waited it out at the hostel. The rain stop, it’s still threatening, I did the climb, 2.7 miles, radical up. At Curley Maple Shelter with five other people. The rains are coming again. Today was a good day, lucky too, dance between the drops. Slipped Erwin, don’t like to load up and do the climb, I’ll be there tomorrow. The rain’s coming down hard. This small stream in front of the shelter, grown. There flash flood warnings, being on top of the mountain, not too much to worry about, except for trees falling. During the night, I had quite the coughing fit, could not stop, no matter what. I was surprise they didn’t throw me in the stream, maybe it was raining too hard. I was bad, something was in the back of my throat and would not come out. I couldn’t stop the coughing, even when I was telling myself, the heck with it.
4/17 Morning, this stream I’m walking in, well, this is the trail I’m walking on. I have 4 miles to Indian Grave Gap, easy hike to the road, There I’ll catch a ride to Erwin. Which was really cool. I wasn’t even at the road. This truck was going by, his window half down, I yelled, hey, going to Erwin. He stopped, I ran down to the road. I got a ride before I was on the road, this ride makes up for the hours trying to catch a ride in other places. Got to KFC right when the buffet was being set up, good timing. Lazy Daisy
and Little Bear was there, we ate and laugh at how I can show up so unexpectedly, then again, food, I’ll be there. So we ate, I got resupply, headed back to the gap. Erwin is a great town for rides. So many of the people do the mountains here, so, they know how foolish we are. This is only a joke, these people are so good to us, thank you for your generosity, Erwin.
1709 Hours: So foggy, I’m passed Beauty Spot a little ways, but I’m before the road. Hound Dog of ’95 set his tent beside this road when someone fired some shots, well, he being 22, he thought he was not going to live though the night. This is one of the reasons why thru-hikers like to hide. Now it’s raining
4/18 1300 Hours: Cherry Gap Shelter, no one’s here. I settle in, pack’s off, I go for water, I slipped, so, I do the turtle, only one flaw today, no pack. Thought I broke a rib, did knock the wind out of me, oh well, I just picked myself up, got the water and had another story for the camp fire.
4/19 Hard hiking all day today. Made it to Roan High Knob Shelter, 6,275 feet, cold. Left Cherry Gap Shelter and made it to Iron Mountain Gap by 0930. There was a trail angel serving, Cabbage soup, muffins, coca, coffee, oranges. Than the climb up Roan, 12 miles, so much rain, going up the trail, water going over the top of my boots, kept going, arrive at 1900. Years past this shelter was damp, dismal, dark, gloomy, not this year, it was a sight for sore eyes, I made it. There were 7 other hikers here too. We were all a bunch of drown rats, it was a good night, we were all laughing by night out.
4/20 Morning, so cold, must get moving, be going down today. Passed the left turn to Carvers Gap. Had to turn around, lost a little time, open spaces here. Now here’s a down hill, in ’96, I ran down, not this year, God the pain is so intense.
1218 Hours: Stan Murray Shelter, sign the journal, 1.7 miles to Over Mountain Shelter(the barn) I will be staying for the day. Got to the barn by 1300, what a view of the valley. Other hikers arrive, I tell them to stay, why? Please have a little patience and you will learn much. A few stayed, and in Maine, they told me how happy they were that they listened. Any way, feels so good sucking the sunshine up
4/21 Got a room in Elk Park, gone over a lot of rocks, rain, 5 inches in the last 4 days, fell a lot, I am so sore, I hurt, can’t even look at my knee without it hurting. I know I can’t do the trail without taking days off, but lets see how far I can go. For now, the pain is great and I am so tired
4/22 0705 Hours: Raining, going for breakfast.
2011 Hours: Moreland Shelter, 13.6 miles. Hit the ground hard a few times today, boots are getting worn out. My spirits are low, they have been lower, but I don’t remember when. Every thing is wet, smells, I’m still going, I’m beaten up. I’m the slowest hiker out here, but, I’m crossing all my t’s and dotting all my i’s, even coming to a road, I make sure that I crossed it, I’m confusing here, you see when you come to a road, you hitch a ride from the same side that you reached and when you come back, you get out and continue on, missing that distance of the road, even a distance of one inch, every inch in a row. I may not, will not live long with the life of a continuous thru hike, my days are number, but, no matter what, the ones in the know, knows. I did it with purity of heart, with the joyousness of life. Away from people’s misconceptions. Even my first year, I knew without knowing. Oh, the pain is so great now. I am alone, always have been. I’m chuckling, how I got the name "BEORN", the spirit of the bear, since being named, I learned, this spirit of the bear is a lonely spirit, he stands alone.
4/23 0731 Hours: I’m moving on, 7 miles of trail, then, a short, couple of tenths of a mile down a road to Bob and Beth Peoples’ hostel, shower, clean my clothes, my socks can walk on their own, it’s been raining for the past week, what am I talking about, the whole trip. I'll nurse my wounds. I get there by noon. Oh, 50% chance of rain today.
4/24 0916 Hours: Some sun, should be nice, today, Little bite in the air.
Leaving Laurel Falls, The water higher, I would hate to fall in here, oops, I almost did, There is a high water route to take, but the falls are missed. No journal at Laurel Fork Shelter, took a picture, nice day, today, makes up for all the hard rains, the slipping, the falling, forgive me for the curing.
fording this swollen stream, twice, cold, must be careful, I do not care to be bouncing off these rocks. Now I climb up and over Pond Mountain. The Southern Appalachians are done, the first 405 miles, with the terrain, 50% uphill, 50% downhill. For the next 1340 miles, the terrain going to be 33% up, 33% down, And 33% level, but easy. If you’re home, watching TV with a TV changer,
or if you get in your car to go downtown, that’s easy. Any time you put on a pack, you’re a draft animal, period. It will never be easy, for, if you say it easy without believing, you'll start lowering your standards, you start, continue lying, where you become a thru-walker(without packs, with the telling to others, they should have this or that), instead of a thru-hiker, or you slipped some distances and say you didn’t(more so than the crossing of roads, some missed whole states, and tell you, they did it all) but, it does come out in the wash, for, it’s in the heart and in the back of the eyes.
Here at Watauga Lake Shelter, for here is where the joke took hold in ‘96
4/25 0900 Hours: On to Vandeventer Shelter, sun shining, hiking with Screaming Ankle, I told him to say good-bye to the Southern Appalachians and in a way, with their hardships, they could be like a parent, very tough, unforgiving, but some good memories also.
Saw my first White Trillium in bloom. What a great day, this is what dreams are made of, no traffic, only the sounds
of this sweet mother, of the earth.
1300 Hours:
At the spring below Vandeventer.
Iron Mountain
Shelter, I’m dead tired, made my meal, good
night
4/27 0827 Hours: I am 26 miles south
of Damascus, Va., it’s flat going, third time though,
I’m going to take a couple of days to enjoy this, in
my way, I’m saying good-bye, no more Blood, Standing
Indian, Albert, Pond Mountain, and a few others. Very
easy miles, no traffic, just me, and the wilds. I
very much have, peace of mind.
I type slower
than I hike, I'll be on springer no later than the
19th of March Time is short: To close this
story of ’98. I made it to Pearisburg before taking my
first day off, 612 miles, not an inch misplace, full
pack. In fact, 4 days(went back to Damascus for
Trail Days and three of those days was a fast, with
two days, no liquid. Why? To feel, for prophets
teaches, don’t think, feel, for when you feel, you
gain experiences, but, be careful, experiences is
what you get when you done something. Wisdom, is what
you get, when you done something badly.
Being on the Mountain, there as been many sunrises and sunsets. Sitting by the births of streams, they are so exciting, watching them grow in their rush to the sea. Not only that, having the wind cool me. The sun, how she warms me. The rain refreshes, cleanses me. The joys of life, how everything relates, are relative. To be in the flow of life, contentment, is there more?
I am sorry! I can’t get into the eating of the berries, for days on end. The laying on the grasses, with no itching. Dawning of days, changing of the leaves. Even now, with my knees gone, what the hell, they hurt when I do nothing. I set my sail to the winds, this ship has sail the seven seas and does have wear. I have been told that I should of stayed in ports more. They are right to tell me that ships in harbor are safe, but that’s not what they’re built for. Any way, the Earth is my port, my home, I am very happy for what I Feel....."BEORN"
SOME PAIN
sore feet
cut hand-11 stiches
blister
sides are sore-what happens with no days off, from sweat
