[at-l] Moonshine

[NightShine@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/18/99 2:47:53 PM MST, Slyinmd@aol.com writes:

<< t looked like a good area to pick up a junk car, a tractor, other
 miscellaneous junk or an old refrigerator.  Perhaps a used still. >>

When i went back to finish up those last 22 miles between TN-91 and Damascus
late last July, i had a splendid experience with a local...at Abingdon Gap
Shelter.

It was peculiar for me setting out the day before from TN-91 late in the
afternoon. Was alone the first night (forget the name of the first shelter
north of TN-91) and tented near the shelter; built a fire for myself and
enjoyed only the 3rd night of total solitude of my northbound sections. I
fully expected to be alone on the next night 'cause it was the middle of the
week.

After about an hour of sitting at Abingdon Gap Shelter in the afternoon, along
came a lone male hiker. With antenna up, ie., do i stay here alone with this
stranger during non-thru-hiker season or will i feel safe, i said hello. He
said, "Haah, Ah'm Fahrbug. That's Fye-er-bug to most folks, but down here we
say Fahrbug." Turns out he was a local man about 40 who came up to stay in a
shelter once a week. He lives in his camper on a piece of property over
towards Shady Valley overlooking the AT. 

Indeed we had a splendid fire going for about 8 hours to keep the blackflies
away. Yes, blackflies in TN. Well, if they weren't blackflies, they looked
like flies and bit the hell outta ya! Anyway, it remained just the two of us
for the entire night. I stayed in my tent and he stayed in the shelter. We
chatted and had a splendid evening and said goodbye and went our separate ways
after breakfast. 

O.K., Second Chance, get to the point of why you quoted Slyman above. Fahrbug
had several interests, one of which was moonshinin'. Apparently, there's some
big annual party he and his friends have....over 100 folks attending in which
various forms of moonshine is the beverage of choice. The best, according to
this local expert, is peach moonshine. He regretted that he had not known he'd
have company up there at the shelter or else i could have partaken and
reported back to this inquisitive list here on the quality of said peach
moonshine.

It was one of those good evenings on the trail that one didn't expect to have.

Second Chance
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