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[at-l] SLACKPACK TOUR journal

1997 SLACKPACK TOUR OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

APRIL 2, 1997 - WEDNESDAY

	slept soundly in the motel.  hadn't slept too well the last two 
nights in the tent.  it is a matter of getting used to it, i guess.  did
some work on the computer before leaving the motel, then to a drug 
store to get a brace for PAT's knee, then breakfast, then laundry, then 
the post office to mail a few things, then to a gas station to fill up 
the 5 gallon igloo (water container), then off to NEELS GAP (US19/129). 
guess who we met there?  yep, JANE and PETE.  they were happily taking 
their first showers since saturday.  JANE's family (hubby and two sons) 
were coming from ASHEVILLE, NC to see her.  she was excited.  PETE was 
happy that he hadn't yet hurt any part of his body severely.  PAT limped 
around and got plenty of sympathy...
	i got dressed for hiking and headed out for HOGPEN GAP (GA348). 
PAT has the job of being there with the van when i arrive.  another 
glorious day on the trail.  the weather forecast is for 70's in the 
daytime and 30's, 40's and 50's progressively at night as the week 
unfolds.  rain showers are predicted for saturday and sunday.  any 
hikers that started after last friday's storms are having a tremendous 
start weatherwise.  i didn't see many hikers after NEELS GAP.  i did run 
across an older fellow named JOHN.  he was hell on wheels downhill, but 
slow as molasses on the uphills.  he was also headed for the HOGPEN GAP 
area, and was happy to find out that PAT and i were going to tent there.
we parted company on one of the uphills...
	PAT and the van were at HOGPEN GAP.  (ya know, you trust your 
vehicle and all of your belongings to someone that you just met the day 
before, and there is a twinge of concern)  JOHN showed up shortly 
thereafter.  there were good tent sights right at the parking area, so 
we positioned the van as a wind barrier and setup camp.  supper and 
conversation ended another wonderful day...

APRIL 3, 1997 - THURSDAY

	right after we hit the sack last night, HALE-BOPPers began to 
show up.  apparently, we were camped at astronomy central.  for three 
hours we had to listen to loud obnoxious people that were very excited 
about the comet.  we were 50 feet away trying to get some sleep, but 
they didn't care.  i am now king of HALE-BOPP trivia...
	up at dawn, ate, dressed, gone.  HOGPEN GAP (GA348) to UNICOI 
GAP (GA75).  JOHN left earlier than me, but i caught him about 4 miles 
into the hike at LOW GAP shelter.  there i rested, signed the register, 
had a snack, and did some reading.  the trail after the shelter is an 
old overgrown forest road, 5 miles long, that is nicely graded.  i lit 
the afterburners and made some good time.  the trail leaves the road at 
CHATTAHOOCHEE GAP.  i took a short break there.  i had been hoping to 
run in to a hiker, THUNDER CHICKEN, that i had previously made 
arrangements with to drive to ATLANTA on the 10th.  he has been leaving 
messages on my answering machine, when he found a phone, letting me know 
where on the trail he was.  i figured i'd run in to him on the trail 
soon, and i sure enough did.  we hadn't previously met, but thru general
conversation that you have with hikers as you meet, we decided who we 
were.  we hiked together for a while.  he decided to head for UNICOI GAP
and tent with me and PAT, then we would all go into HELEN, GA tommorrow
for a hearty meal.  two other hikers traveling together, SLOE (female) 
and BOG (male), indicated that they were going to thumb into HELEN 
tommorrow and get a motel, so i told them  that i would be happy to run 
them in.  they will hike down to UNICOI GAP in the morning...
	there were  no good tent sites at UNICOI GAP, so PAT, THUNDER 
CHICKEN and i drove to another road crossing, TRAY GAP (USFS79), for the 
night.  supper, laughs, HALE-BOPP trivia.  good night...

APRIL 4, 1997 - FRIDAY

	everyone got to HELEN as planned.  SLOE and BOG got a motel 
room, took showers and did laundry.  PAT, THUNDER and i just hung around
town generally making a nuisance of ourselves.  the town is styled in a
bavarian motif, very unique.  we eventually all got showers at the 
motel, then headed to UNICOI STATE PARK for the lunch buffet at the 
lodge.  yum.  hikers sure can eat.  our server was very excited that we 
were thru-hikers and talked and talked about a friend that had 
thru-hiked last year.  she wanted to know all of our trail names and 
wrote them down so she could tell her friend.  she took very good care 
of us...
	after dropping SLOE and BOG off, we headed to UNICOI GAP (GA75) 
for our daily hike.  THUNDER and i took off around 2pm for the short 
hike to TRAY GAP (USFS79), where we had tented the previous evening.  
when we arrived, a small crowd of thru-hikers, HAWKEYE, GOOFY FOOT and 
TIME TO FLY, were there talking with PAT.  we all yuk'd and chuckled for
a time until the three headed up the trail for the next shelter.  
THUNDER has decided to slackpack with PAT and i until the trip to 
ATLANTA on the 10th.  we ate, planned hikes, repacked the van, repacked 
our packs, and got prepared for the possibility of overnight rains.  
HAWKEYE hiked back to retrieve his hat.  he said he had forgotten it, 
but we knew he wanted some of our freshly brewed coffee.  we gave it to 
him in a tiny little expresso cup.  he enjoyed the coffee and the abuse,
then headed back out.  darkness came.  we lit the coleman lamp and 
talked about insignificant things...

APRIL 5, 1997 - SATURDAY

	off early, headed for DICKS CREEK GAP (US76).  stopped at the 
TRAY GAP shelter to use the privy.  it's a joy not having dig a hole.  
before i got to the shelter, i caught GOOFY FOOT and TIME TO FLY hiking 
in the wrong direction!  they had turned the wrong way when leaving the 
shelter.  ran across a hiker named ERIC who had pulled a hamstring.  he 
was hiking with the pain.  he now has the name of HAMSTRING.  stopped 
and chatted with SILVER TORTOISE, an mature lady.  it is good to see the
many senior citizens out here.  passed HAWKEYE on an uphill.  then he 
caught me at DEEP GAP shelter, were i was taking an extended lunch 
break.  after leaving the shelter, i passed by a cub scout group (10 or 
12 people) headed for the shelter.  further on, i passed by eight people
also headed for the shelter, carrying burgers and beer.  can you 
imagine the diversity at that shelter?  thru-hikers, cub scouts and 
party animals, 25 to 30 people!  oy...
	THUNDER, PAT and i set up camp at DICKS CREEK GAP after running 
a few hikers down to the BLUEBERRY PATCH, an organic farm that has 
showers, bunkroom, laundry, phone and breakfast for thru-hikers.  for 
dinner, we chowed down on ANGEL HAIR PASTA AL POMEDORA, a group effort. 
it was THUNDERS recipe, and was absolutely delicious... 
	night is falling, we have added an hour to all of our watches 
and clocks, and it definitly feels like rain.  tommorrow we enter North 
Carolina...

APRIL 6, 1997 - SUNDAY

	the rains came just as we were ready to call it a night last 
night.  it rained all night long.  my tent is waterproof to a point, not 
bad though.  it was still raining when we all arose.  breaking down camp
in the rain is not fun.  everything was wet.  THUNDER headed out for 
DEEP GAP (USFS71).  i stayed until the van was loaded.  last night, we 
drove the van into an area that it really wasn't supposed to go in an 
effort to have it close to the tents.  this morning, the van got stuck 
in the mud when we tried to get it out.  PAT and i waited until the 
BLUEBERRY PATCH shuttle arrived with eight hikers, then recruited them 
to push the van.  one of the hikers was named ROCK DANCER.  you'll find 
his journal on the internet at www.trailplace.com.  he says that he has 
a few blisters, but is doing fine.  it was too late for me to start 
hiking.  day off...
	went into HIAWASSEE GA for breakfast, then into FRANKLIN NC to 
shop, then onto DEEP GAP.  we setup camp so everything could dry, then 
ate supper.  around about 5:30pm THUNDER had not yet arrived.  i hiked 
south about 2 miles, but could not find him.  he arrived back in camp 
around 7:45pm, happy as a lark.  it had been a hard sixteen miles along 
a wet trail...

APRIL 7, 1997 - MONDAY

	it was a dry chilly night in a bear sanctuary.  that's right, a 
bear sanctuary!  we were camped just under the sign.  no quadraped 
mammels visited us though...
	up with the light, ate breakfast, and lit the afterburners.  the
day remained chilly, but the sun was bright and warming.  ran across a 
hiker named BRENT that is suffering the effects of OSGOOD SCHLAUGHTERS 
(sp) disease, a fancy name for a tender knee cap.  he is now known as 
OSGOOD...
	i heard music playing as i rounded a bend in the trail and ran 
into TUMBLEWEED and his radio.  his journal is also on the internet at 
www.trailplace.com.  he says that he has no blisters, and is having a 
terrific time.  we hiked and yak'd all of the way to MOONEY GAP 
(USFS83), where PAT was to be waiting.  he showed up shortly thereafter, 
as did THUNDER, and we set up camp.  THUNDER and TUMBLEWEED hiked 
another eight miles north after setting up camp, and i went to pick them
up at ROCK GAP.  PAT had a campfire going when we got back, and we made
supper and ate around the fire.  it is a chilly night...

APRIL 8, 1997 - TUESDAY

	THUNDER CHICKEN has a watch that cock-a-doodle-doos like a 
rooster.  he used this to wake us up this morning.  he probably won't do 
that again.  we ate,  broke camp, and all headed for ROCK GAP.  THUNDER,
TUMBLEWEED and i then hiked to WINDING STAIR GAP (US64), where PAT was 
waiting.  THUNDER and i continued hiking, and PAT and TUMBLEWEED went 
into FRANKLIN NC.  TUMBLEWEED is taking a few days off...
	PAT was waiting at WAYAH (war-yuh) BALD (USFS69) when THUNDER 
and i arrived.  it had been a mostly uphill day, so we were fatigued.  
we found a very nice place near the trail, at the top of the bald, to 
tent.  set up camp, cooked supper, started a campfire, and watched the 
sun go down...

APRIL 9, 1997 - WEDNESDAY

	it was very, very cold in the morning.  none of us wanted to get 
out of the sleeping bags, but we had a big mileage day.  it seemed 
forever before the sun broke thru...
	after the usual morning activities, THUNDER and i headed out.  i
was still cold, and did a sprint for the first six miles, not stopping 
but once to retie a boot, then taking a break at COLD SPRING SHELTER.  
two couples, that i had screamed passed earlier, caught up here.  one 
couple, i forget there names,  were familiar with the SLACKPACK TOUR 
thru the internet.  the fellow had grown up in PITTSBURGH PA, so we had 
a few things to discuss...
	THUNDER strolled in eventually to take a short break.  we hiked 
out together.  the temperatue had improved and my legs had tightened up, 
so the pace was a bit slower.  there are more ferns, flowers and budding
trees as the days go by.  we are not far from the explosion of spring.  i

regret not beeing able to identity all of this beautiful foliage.  
i'll study up after the hike this year...
	we arrived in at the NANTAHALA RIVER (US19) in the early 
evening.  PAT was there, of course.  we all had supper at the restaurant
overlooking the river, then headed for FRANKLIN NC.  TUMBLEWEED had 
switched motels, but we found him anyway!  we got a room and took much 
needed showers.  i retrieved my e-mail, a whole weeks worth.  that kept
me busy into the night...

APRIL 10, 1997 - THURSDAY

	up early working on this journal.  we are headed for ATLANTA to 
drop THUNDER at the airport.  he will be back on the trail in a few days
after a short trip to DALLAS.  we will also be picking up KEN BREEDEN 
from the AMTRAK staion.  he is the fellow that, along with PAT, will 
support the SLACKPACK TOUR.  LAURA LUTCHANSKY, our one paying customer 
on the TOUR, and her husband GARY will be arriving at USFS42, near 
SPRINGER MOUNTAIN, on friday evening.  saturday will see the beginning 
of the SLACKPACK TOUR thru-hike.  stay tuned...


Rick Mann, aka Uncle Rick, aka Pittsburgh
slackpacker@juno.com
1-800-803-2767
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