The Plan
The plan was for Smoking Sox and occasional hiker Sheep's Head to fly down to Charlotte on Saturday March 10th then drive to Standing Bear Farm where they would meet up with me and DOT (Daughter Of Tortoise). DOT was driving over from Raleigh and I was driving down from Central PA. A nice three-day hike from Standing Bear to Hot Springs followed by another three-day hike from Hot Springs to Sams Gap. Heck, we even had plans to spend Monday night in Hot Springs so we could enjoy a few brews and burgers. If all went well, we would drive down to Asheville on Thursday night and hit some of the brewpubs before heading for home on Friday.
Mother Nature doesn't like plans. And my wife is a big fan of Mother Nature. A winter storm was headed towards Max Patch on Sunday night and my wife made it VERY clear that I was not going to be in the woods with our little (24 year old) daughter during a winter storm. As Friday March 9th rolled approached, I worked the phones with Sox and DOT while assuring my wife that no harm would befall our little girl. The final plan still had some wiggle room - DOT and I would start at Max Patch instead of Standing Bear and Sox & Sheep's Head would make their decision during the drive from Charlotte on Saturday morning.
Friday, March 9th
I left the house at 06:00 and headed down I-81. My daughter gave me a call as I passed over the AT in Groseclose, VA to provide an updated ETA for Sams Gap. She was running a little late and I was running early. Hmmmm. I came up with a brilliant idea - a side trip to Damascus to see our brick.
[IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Hiking/AT-Section-Hike-33/i-WdmrnDj/0/4e0d0dac/M/20180309_121359-1-M.jpg]
My next order of business was a visit to Bobo McFarland's in search of Lone Wolf. I wanted to buy him a beer to show my appreciation for sending me a picture of our brick last year. Sadly, Bobo McFarland's was closed so I dejectedly walked back to my vehicle and continued on my drive. Next time, Wolf.
I wasn't keen on leaving my car in Sams Gap for six or seven nights, so I contacted Mother Marian's Hostel and worked out a deal to park at their place for the week with a shuttle from the trail back to my vehicle once we arrived in Sams Gap. DOT and I rendezvoused at the Little Creek Cafe just a few miles south of Sams Gap then dropped off my vehicle at the hostel in the Wolf Laurel development just below Big Bald. With that task complete, we headed over to Hot Springs and checked into a small cabin in the campground then hit the Iron Horse Station for a great pre-hike dinner. Our last order of business was to find a shuttle from Hot Springs to Max Patch in the morning. We had made arrangements with Standing Bear Hostel but they had no interest in the shuttle if we were only going as far as Max Patch. Carl, the proprietor of the Mosaic Gourmet restaurant in town happened to be standing outside when we were asking for shuttlers and agreed to take us up at 08:00 for a reasonable fee. We confirmed out itinerary with Smoking Sox then headed back to the cabin to pack and get ready for Saturday's hike.
The plan was for Smoking Sox and occasional hiker Sheep's Head to fly down to Charlotte on Saturday March 10th then drive to Standing Bear Farm where they would meet up with me and DOT (Daughter Of Tortoise). DOT was driving over from Raleigh and I was driving down from Central PA. A nice three-day hike from Standing Bear to Hot Springs followed by another three-day hike from Hot Springs to Sams Gap. Heck, we even had plans to spend Monday night in Hot Springs so we could enjoy a few brews and burgers. If all went well, we would drive down to Asheville on Thursday night and hit some of the brewpubs before heading for home on Friday.
Mother Nature doesn't like plans. And my wife is a big fan of Mother Nature. A winter storm was headed towards Max Patch on Sunday night and my wife made it VERY clear that I was not going to be in the woods with our little (24 year old) daughter during a winter storm. As Friday March 9th rolled approached, I worked the phones with Sox and DOT while assuring my wife that no harm would befall our little girl. The final plan still had some wiggle room - DOT and I would start at Max Patch instead of Standing Bear and Sox & Sheep's Head would make their decision during the drive from Charlotte on Saturday morning.
Friday, March 9th
I left the house at 06:00 and headed down I-81. My daughter gave me a call as I passed over the AT in Groseclose, VA to provide an updated ETA for Sams Gap. She was running a little late and I was running early. Hmmmm. I came up with a brilliant idea - a side trip to Damascus to see our brick.
[IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Hiking/AT-Section-Hike-33/i-WdmrnDj/0/4e0d0dac/M/20180309_121359-1-M.jpg]
My next order of business was a visit to Bobo McFarland's in search of Lone Wolf. I wanted to buy him a beer to show my appreciation for sending me a picture of our brick last year. Sadly, Bobo McFarland's was closed so I dejectedly walked back to my vehicle and continued on my drive. Next time, Wolf.
I wasn't keen on leaving my car in Sams Gap for six or seven nights, so I contacted Mother Marian's Hostel and worked out a deal to park at their place for the week with a shuttle from the trail back to my vehicle once we arrived in Sams Gap. DOT and I rendezvoused at the Little Creek Cafe just a few miles south of Sams Gap then dropped off my vehicle at the hostel in the Wolf Laurel development just below Big Bald. With that task complete, we headed over to Hot Springs and checked into a small cabin in the campground then hit the Iron Horse Station for a great pre-hike dinner. Our last order of business was to find a shuttle from Hot Springs to Max Patch in the morning. We had made arrangements with Standing Bear Hostel but they had no interest in the shuttle if we were only going as far as Max Patch. Carl, the proprietor of the Mosaic Gourmet restaurant in town happened to be standing outside when we were asking for shuttlers and agreed to take us up at 08:00 for a reasonable fee. We confirmed out itinerary with Smoking Sox then headed back to the cabin to pack and get ready for Saturday's hike.
Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH
"The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
"The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard