5/8/99 Max Patch   Miles Today : 16 Miles from Springer : 250.5

Another prime example today of how the entire day can be going badly and 5 minutes can make you forget it all. Lets start out with last night. After all of us are bunked down, ready to fall asleep, this thru-hiker Edmund walked through the door. Edmund had been walking in the dark, in the rain with only a trash bag, and his pack ( yes, this mean no flashlight ). Then, as has been typical lately, it rained all night so nothing dried out including my boots.

Then, after a hearty breakfast, not a good breakfast but hardy, I find out they want another dollar from me for the ride back to the trail. I drop over $20 at Mama's Hole-in-the-Wall and I can't get a free ride for 1.5 miles! Being stubborn as usual, I choose to walk the mile.

Now, for the first half of the day, all I could do was burp up breakfast, and this stomach ache stayed with me for 10 miles. The terrain was tough, with some seriously challenging climbs. The first was a 6 mile, 4000 footer to the top of Snowbird Mountain. Here, there is some sort of FAA device that emits a strange hum. Rick and I ate lunch there and lied out in the sun, yes SUN, for an hour.

The next 10 miles to Max Patch were tough, hard climbs mixed with steep descents. Score one for the trail today, it kicked my butt. Not that I don't like these kind of days, but my legs were not up to the task today. Rick lead most of the way today, and I followed.

But Max Patch, oh was all that pain worth it. The mountain is a 4600 footer and a complete grassy bald! Now this is like the hiking back home, with view in every direction. Rick and I made it here by 5:30 with Drive-By and Monk showing up about an hour later. We all found a nice flat spot just off the summit and set up camp. I must have lied on the grass for at least an hour just taking in the view; this place is astounding.

A quick side note: Thanks to the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) for the great trail conditions. Your counterparts in the Smokies could learn a lot from your train maintenance techniques. That's all for now, off to the summit for what looks to be a great sunset. Tough day, but great reward, life is great!

-Chomp

ADDEMDIUM: While eating dinner, we tried our best to shield ourselves from the wind whipping over the top of the mountain. After a warm meal, we all donned our rain gear ( hey, it was COLD ) and headed up to the true summit, about 100 yeard away. The four uf us sat there, bellies full and heart content as a spectacular sunset unfolded in front of us. Better than any wide-screen movie, the sun, sky and mountains put on an amazing show for us. I can't explain the inner calm that this type of moment brings out, but it is real and it is wonderful.

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