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July 01 2001

Distance Traveled: 13.6 (+.1 in side trails)     Total Miles: 99.2 (103.4)

Location: Baggs Creek Gap.

Entry:

I decided to take it easy today, so I didn't leave the shelter until 1000. It was a nice hike most of the day, only a couple of strenuous points.

An interesting thing happened when I stopped for lunch. I found a nice little grassy place right by the trail, there were a few like it I had passed. I had been going over my gear mentally for the last hour or so trying to figure out how to trim it down and save weight or improve some of my stuff, so I pulled out some paper and was making notes while I ate. About 30 minutes later this guy walks up and sits down beside me (a few other hikers had passed) and we start talking. Turns out he and I were in the exact same infantry battalion in Germany, only separated by 2 years. Of all places to meet someone from an old unit, I mean it was just one battalion in a large Army, and the unit doesn't even exist anymore, and to have meet in that one small clearing among many on a large trail that didn't have a lot of traffic to begin with.

After lunch, I went down to Low Gap Shelter for water. Apparently a herd of pigs had stayed there because there was a ton of trash in the fire ring, a stack of abandoned can food in the shelter, and unburied poop and paper in the woods near the shelter. I filled up my trash bag with as much trash as I could to carry it out trying to help. I feel for the trail maintainers, some people are freaking pigs. Hey jerks, it doesn't magically go away!

Anyway, more uneventful walking brought me to Hogpen Gap where there is a parking area that apparently some folks (in cars I assume) use for a rest stop because some A$$ hole had $hit right in the trail. 

.2 miles up I ran into a guy (from Florida) camped right by the trail. It was his first time backpacking (starting to be a trend, guys from Florida, first time backpacking, is their a bug going around down there?) He had only traveled 13.8 miles in 2 days. He said he had gone a little overboard on food (and gear I should add myself), and wasn't in good shape for this hiking stuff, but he was still having fun.

I pushed through Tesnatee Gap and then up Cowrock Mountain, a climb I had been dreading because of the terrain profile. But it wasn't a bad climb  and there was a great view where I took lots of pictures. Then I pushed on down to Baggs Creek Gap to camp.

The site is great! I had water and built camp in no time. I think someone else was planning on staying here too, because as I was writing, a man and a woman pulled up on the trail and started taking their packs off until they realized I was already here. They just pushed north. I hope they find a good spot, I didn't see any nice ones north of here.

I've been pondering today why with all the surf movies, biker movies, rapper movies, dance movies, etc. Movies for every activities that people like to do - why hasn't anyone ever made a hiker movie? I guess hiking would be boring to watch, no good guys and bad guys, no hike competition to make a big finale over. But hey, they televise golf, there are movies about golf, and I believe that golf could qualify as one of the most boring sports around. Maybe the Cohen Brothers could make a movie about hiking. If anybody could make a good, interesting movie about hiking, they could. How about using "A Walk in the Woods" with John Goodman as Katz and Kelsey Grahmer as Bryson.

I'm really starting to miss Kristi and the kids. At least I'll be meeting up with Helen tomorrow, hopefully that will take my mind off it for a while. I think next summer I should take them camping. It isn't the same as hiking, but at least Kristi will be there, and I can take the youngsters on day hikes - and maybe do some trail clean up. Hopefully next summer we won't be at Fort Polk and will be somewhere we can do a summer trip to a nice place (not NTC).

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