4/28/08 14 miles Catawba Mountain Shelter
Today the weather turned from a comfort to a crucible. It rained incessantly until noon—almost 20 hours of precipitation since last evening. But climbing the Dragon’s Tooth to meet a glorious gap in the sky was definitely a triumph greater than the challenge. My resupply trip to Catawba proved to be far more rewarding than I could expect. Railroad King was present to witness the luck my hitchhiking thumb wields. Two students from Virginia Tech drove us to the General Store and even paid for our supplies! We returned the favor by presenting them with our gluttonous eating spectacle. After a few fertile pasturelands and rocky ridges, I arrived here in the company of three section hikers who helped build a superb fire. Tomorrow morning I will reach McAfee Knob for Sunrise.
4/27/08 23 miles Pickle Branch Shelter
The rain is gently falling on this placid shelter and the garlic is gently digesting in my violent guts…the essence of camping.
4/26/08 19 miles Laurel Creek Shelter
I have finally broken the threshold of a new hiking crowd—leaving my lonesome void. This arid morning I met Jukebox, Popeye, Thorny and ‘lil Mac, all seemingly disillusioned with society, yet enchanted with the wilderness. They chose to stay at the last shelter, but I braved the oncoming thunderstorms, ascended a monstrous mountain and arrived at this shelter to meet Twiggy, Spoc, Snake and Whitefish. The threshold of a new crowd!
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