Wednesday 13 April 2016
It’s been a week since we started the AT. When we finally manage to get going, Jurgen’s tent is still standing. He wants to go on to Helen, a Bavarian town “on anabolics” exponentially perverted by the Americans, as Schnitzel, a German we meet later that morning, explains and animatedly shows us on his phone during our lunch break. Hailing from Bavaria, he was in a position to provide fair criticism if the town with its Stockwerk buildings we had chosen to skip.
Crossing Unicoi Gap was hard, since we passed a few hikers that opted to exit the route for a night on the town and a clean shower and were obviously in a good mood, including Casey Jones, a young lady wearing a Patagonia top and the remnants of hair dyed blue for a Halloween long past. They were taking their time to become wood bound again and drinking coffee in the parking lot. A steep ascent back into the woods took us past a few day hikers and some AT hikers we haven’t seen before. At the Indian Grave Site parking lot we spread out the tarp and had a lunch break. Schnitzel joins us and decides to rough it by lying on a few branches he sort of breaks in as an informal nest. He cuts an interesting figure, somehow managing to tie up his trendy hiking pants with his belt in a way that begs for suspenders. Casey Jones and company also arrive and take a break. She hikes in sandals and socks and the hair apparently attracted adverse commentary from her dad, who is made out to be on the conservative side and brings out the reactionary in her. The climb after lunch, especially the ascent to Tray Mountain goes on steadily and is trying. Out of nowhere Rene appears, and breezes up the Mountain past us. We can’t help wondering if she arrived with one of the busses we saw at the bottom of Tray Mountain. We are dead tired when we arrive at the Shelter on top of the mountain: I don’t feel good and lie down while Kobus fixes me up with some Rehidrate. We are about the third arrival.
At the shelter we also have a chat with Pony, who acquired his trail name because he just keeps on going, regardless of the elevation pattern. He comes from Colorado and compares the elevation with that of the Smokeys. He’s hiking the AT just because… and enquires about everybody else’s motivation for doing so. It seems he noticed us earlier that morning since we were hugging for a long time. Very meticulous and precise about drying out his cup and bowl and I get curious as to his profession: he is a writer. A guy called Kevin and his buddy stock up on water before continuing another three miles or so. At first it seems as if they lost their Sawyer bag’s top. Kobus offers to lend them his Sawyer but eventually they find their top. Rene starts talking about her “perfectly/totally legal” business. She’s in the marijuana business (legal in Colorado). Federal government apparently does not allow these types of businesses to have bank accounts, so they mainly function on cash. Pony asks whether it’s near Geally, and she answers in the affirmative. Later Susan and Betty also pitch up. Not a very crowded shelter tonight which at this point in the evolution of the privy is good: it has been filling up dangerously and really requires a strong and determined stomach. We fall asleep with the sound of smoker’s cough punctuating the otherwise quiet night.