April 30-May 3

By Cody

Monday April 29

Today we woke up to some sunshine finally, but we had to begin the lovely task of re packing our packs and making sure we didn't forget anything. Every time we've stayed at a hotel on the trip it ends up looking like a college dorm room. We have to unpack everything in small rooms,  usually do dishes in the bathroom sink and have laundry strewn about to dry. This time we had a stack of pizza boxes and to-go boxes from the delicious Mexican place as well. We got 2 of the things we had been craving the past week, but I didn't get my Wendy's. I've been craving a baconator for 6 weeks now, and I cant wait until I can sink my teeth into one! After picking up a few more food items, we hiked down to Uncle Johnny's hostel outside of town to wait on our ride to Colony Earth. Kaci finally picked up her new Kindle she just bought and has downloaded quite a few books already. I believe she is reading, " Into The Wild" as I type this. I'm sure she would appreciate any other suggestions anyone may have! At 3pm the bus to Colony Earth picked us up. Xavier Hawk, the patriarch of the farm, was driving. Very fittingly, it was a biodiesel bus. Xavier is a very cool guy and he immediately cranked up some Peter Gabriel and asked us if we thought 3 cases of beer would suffice. Of course, everybody thought that was a good idea! About an hour later, near Burnsville, NC we arrived at his farm. It is an 11 acre organic farm carved into the mountains. He took us for a tour after we set up our tents and it was super interesting. They grow all kinds of fruits and veggies, raise goats and chickens, have lots of solar  panels, and we helped them finish a greenhouse. As we walked around, he had us picking fresh greens and flowers for the salad we were going to have for dinner. We grilled burgers and hot dogs, had some chips and hummice, and had fresh salad and it was delicious! Afterward, we all sat around the fire and relaxed. A guitar, drum, and a didgeridoo made their way out and it was a great way to close the day. Xavier was able to play the didgeridoo really well and free styled onthat for a bit. That has got to be the coolest instrument ever!

Tuesday April 30

We all woke up to a nice warm sun this morning and took our sweet time getting up and around. We all made our way up to the kitchen for breakfast and coffee. Xavier and his wife Jamie had eggs and potatoes out for us and told us to help ourselves. Kaci cooked us up some and it was really good. She said it felt good to cook again since we haven't cooked in a kitchen for 6 weeks. Before we left for the AT, Kaci and I were cooking at home almost everyday. At noon, a man named Adam who teaches Lakota culture through ceremonies and medicines, arrived at the farm. Xavier had arranged for us all to experience an authentic Lakota peace pipe ceremony while we were there to help us along our journey. I know what some of you are thinking ( mom and dad!) but there was nothing illegal going on. What's smoked is a mixture of some tobacco and ancient herbs that's blessed by the person putting on the ceremony. We all sat on the yoga deck in a circle an Adam talked about the history of ceremonies, what they are used for, and how they work. He also told us about all the items that were there, and what they represented. We all smoked from the pipe, but there is no inhaling. The smoke is presented as an offering, not as something for you. It was a really cool experience, and probably something most of will never get the chance to do again. It's experiences like that that  we will probably remember more from this trip, then of some things we did on an average hiking day. After that was over we helped them inoculate mushrooms on logs. This was really fun to see, because a few weeks ago at the Kana'ti Lodge, we had seen the finished product at David's farm. He told us how he did it, but today we got to see it done. By this time, it was already 3pm and we needed to head back to town. Xavier dropped Kaci and I, Gary, Liz, and Steph back off at Sam's Gap. Since it was so late, we only hiked about 1.5miles and set up camp. Everyone had a great time at Colony Earth, and I'm glad that we were able to see it.

Wednesday May 1st

Hard to believe it is May already! It seems like we were at Springer Mountain, GA stepping off on this adventure ages ago, but yet it's hard to believe April is behind us already. It sure doesn't feel like May though. There has been a chill in the air all day, but as I write this in the tent, I am pretty chilly. Dexter thinks its cold too, he's snuggled up by my feet, at the bottom of my sleeping bag! We had another shorter day today. I'd say we  went 6 miles or so. It was a rather long 6 miles though because it was mostly up hill. Liz is just getting over an ailment and Kaci wasn't  feeling 100% so we decided to take it slower. We planned on just reaching the top of the mountain called Big Bald and calling it a day because there is a big meadow on top, but it was way to cold and windy on that spot. Of course things like that happen when you're up at 5500 feet, but we were hoping it would be nicer. We went another half mile or so passed the top, but didn't drop much elevation, so that's why it's colder tonight. We haven't camped at this altitude since early in the Smokies. Our saving grace tonight is our campsite. Liz found a nice spot tucked behind a huge rock, so the wind is going over the top of us. We built a fire into the rock because there was a natural chimney and it worked nicely. As we sat around it got much cloudier and windier and I believe I can here several rain drops coming down now. So much for 10% chance of rain! It shouldn't be to bad though as long as the wind doesn't change direction. Here's to hoping for a warmer day tomorrow!

Thursday May 2nd

Woke up this morning to the weather still being cold and windy with a little mist to boot. We all moved pretty slowly because its hard to get motivated to get out of your tent when it looks like it'll pour any minute. After about an hour it started to get brighter with the sun burning off some of the fog. We left camp about 1130 and we went the half mile to the shelter to fill up our water. By now the sun was peeking through and we were happy we wouldn't be getting wet today. The temps weren't to bad either. Out of the wind it was fairly warm, probably in the low 60s. In the wind however, it was quite chilly. Most of the day didn't feel like May at all. Most of our terrain today was flat or slightly downhill, which was a nice change of pace from the last few days of hiking. We had three climbs today, but none were terribly difficult. We stopped for lunch about 5 miles in and made fun of Gary for picking a bad spot. We just passed a sheltered rocky area which would have been great,  but he picked a lower spot with plenty of wind and it was chilly. We left lunch and went another mile to Spivey Gap to top off water. There was a group of hikers getting picked up by a friend, and one of them brought us a Miller Lite. I'm not normally a fan, but after a day of hiking , any beer tastes good. After a short break we made a short climb and then the terrain turned really nice. We just hiked along about 3 or 4 miles of flat trail with very little wind. We decided we would stop for the night whenever we found a descent flat spot. We topped off water one more time, went passed No Business Knob shelter and found a real nice spot off the trail, for a total of about 11 miles on the day. We set up camp, built a fire, and ate some dinner. Kaci found a fake snake on a stump today so we took it and put it in Gary's sleeping bag when he wasn't paying attention. We didn't get the reaction we were hoping for, just a "what the hell!?" Followed by a " please tell me that's a fake snake!" Kaci, Liz, and I got a good laugh out of it though. Only problem is he now has a fake snake to use on us, so we have to keep our eyes open! We have about 6 miles left to Erwin, where we will be stopping again. It kinda sucks to be back there because we basically back tracked, but Kaci needs to mail some stuff home and we all need to pick up a bit more food, enough for about 6 days. Plus we'd all like to shower and do some laundry as well, and I'd imagine the people around us would appreciate that too. We're planning on tenting at Uncle Johnny's Hostel tomorrow night and heading back out Saturday morning. Nobody really wants to spend any more time in town then we have to, but hopefully we can get a good lunch or dinner out of it. There are a couple towns about 50 miles north of Erwin that we will be aiming for for another quick resupply probably around next Wednesday or Thursday. Everybody's spirit is still high and were having a great time. The dogs are also doing great, although Dexter just loves to bark at anything and everything. But I suppose you'll have that with little dogs that have a Napolean complex! It's a little more difficult having dogs out here because you have to carry their food, keep an eye on them, and someone always has to be with them. But, it's been alot of fun with them and they help add a little something extra to this whole experience. Plus, you can tell they are having a great time! It'll be tough when we have to send them home, but I think it's asking a bit to much to have them out here for hundreds of miles. But until then, we are certainly enjoying their company! Anyway, we've got an early morning tomorrow, so I will sign off here for now. Hopefully when I write tomorrow's blog, I'll have a belly full of Baconators and French fries!

Friday May 3rd

Got up today around 8 and broke camp about 1015. We wanted to get to town earlier today so we would have enough time to run errands and get resupplied before places closed. We made great time! We did 6 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes, which is really fast for us. The terrain was still very nice so we were able to hike very quickly. It was a warm day and very pleasant, great for hiking. Had some nice views coming down into Erwin of the town itself and the Nolichucky River. We got to the hostel around 1230 and paid for a spot and set up the tent. Lucky for us they had just fired up the grill and were making burgers and hot dogs for everyone. Kaci, Gary, and Liz caught the shuttle into town and got he stuff we needed while I puppysat. They also ordered pizza while they were out, so that made for a good dinner. Unfortunately I didn't get my Wendy's, so that'll have to wait for another day, oh well! The rest of the evening will be spent doing laundry and relaxing. As I was typing this, we were sitting at the picnic table waiting on the washer and two guys, Bo and The Dude decided to wrestle for fun. One of the Warrior hikers Sharon, AKA Mama Goose, who is a physical therapist told them " Dont make me work tonight!" Well the match went quickly, but 5 minutes later someone asks her for help.  The Dude apparently has an AC seperation in his shoulder. He took it like a champ though and just laughed it off, and said he wasn't in pain. We hadnt met before but hopefully it is okay! Never a dull moment when hikers are bored! We plan on heading out tomorrow and heading north again! Unfortunately, we lost another Warrior Hiker today due to injury. Dick hurt his ankle a couple days ago, so he needed to stop hiking. As of now we are down to 10 Warrior Hikers left out of the original 14. Only 8 of us on are the trail now, because 2 are at home recouping from injuries, but they will be back soon. That's about it from today, ready to leave town and get back on the trail! Ill update the blog as much as we can over the next few days!