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Re: [at-l] SLACKPACKER TOUR journal
- Subject: Re: [at-l] SLACKPACKER TOUR journal
- From: "Sponge and Skylar" <backpack@sprynet.com>
- Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 09:10:52 -0400
What a great journal! A whole different aspect of the AT ,I felt like I was
there! I would like to be able to contact someone for the Slackpack Tour
for 98? Later! Keep the post coming Iam really enjoying this! Skylar
----------
> From: Richard K Mann <slackpacker@juno.com>
> To: at-l@saffron.hack.net; atml@trailplace.com; cberky@eesus.jnj.com;
billdavis@psnw.com; nightfyr@concentric.net; dalee9@juno.com;
eedelmai@ford.com; at1996@juno.com; logmann@bigfoot.com;
dpmann@seidata.com; herbert.p.mann@rose-hulman.edu; breedlov@att.net.hk;
miller@cushman.ransomes.com; lstanley@oeonline.com; stroudla@pwfl.com;
shwinget@eng.appl.ge.com
> Subject: [at-l] SLACKPACK TOUR journal
> Date: Thursday, April 10, 1997 8:37 AM
>
> 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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