Hiking Matt

It’s quite funny how in a shelter full of new people, no one wants to be ‘that guy,’ the one who wakes up and gets going and in the process, makes enough noise to disturb others.  Since I was on the top level, the bottom people got up and going first while we just lay quietly, listening to all the stirring going on. 

What a weird, noisy, slow production.. People were everywhere trying to make breakfast or repack their oversized packs.  I decided to take a back seat to the whole affair.  I sat up in the shelter and journaled for awhile, soon.. I was the only one left in the shelter… even tenters came and went.  Just as I was putting my pack on, another hiker, swung in for a quick snack.  He said his name was Bee Chucker and that he’d gotten his name from always throwing a frisbee around.  We chatted for a few minutes and he expressed a little frustration that he had only three people at Springer Mountain Shelter the night before and that he came out here to meet other people and whatnot.  I told him not to worry, Hawk Mountain Shelter was packed last night as well as a bunch of tents set up everywhere.  Not only that, the number of people who were just ahead numbered in the dozens.

Headed down the trail, it was a beautiful day.. the fog lifted and the sun was out.  Cruised past a few rangers out and about as well as the medic crews sitting on a heavily used forest road.  Passed a handful of hikers (don’t remember names very well) watching a “thru-hiker” walking along the USFS road when I came upon a small terrier dog.  He was headed south.

What to do.

I recall seeing this dog from the night before, belonging to a lady who’d made it to the shelter later in the afternoon, in the rain..but where is she now?  If you can only imagine the number of names I went through to try to guess this animal’s particular name, you would most certainly laugh but I am not going to put myself through that now.  The dog was in obvious distress and was whimpering to continue heading south.  I thought, the owner must have been heading north, I mean, how many people go south during one of the busiest periods on the Appalachian Trail?  Only crazies would be that silly. 

Sigh.

I got my water bottle out and gave him a leaky hand fed drink.. he tried to drink out of my bottle, but see, I don’t like dog cooties, so, no dice!  While watering the dog, Bee Chucker comes back south (he’d passed me on a snack break) and said that he’d already gave him a bunch of water and was trying to figure out what to do.  We went back and forth over what logically happened and figured that the owner was indeed headed north and that worst case scenario, we’d take the dog to Neels Gap where they could pick him up.  Bee Chucker set off north to find her and let her know that the dog was okay and moving north..if only he could find her.

Problem.

The dog wanted to go south.  I wanted to go north.  I spent numerous minutes just to get him to go a couple feet.  Finally another guy came along and said that I should ‘heavily encourage’ the dog and he’d learn to follow.  Sorry, I don’t drag animals just because they don’t wanna comply.  A ‘Bob Ross’ moment came (lingo for “Happy Accident”) when that hiker started walking north.. the dog followed.  SWEET!  For about a mile or so, I had it easy, the dog thought that this was the way to go.  That is, until the guy needs to make a break of his own.  Back to trying to encourage the dog to follow.  How was this going to work.  I channeled Cesar Millan and told myself not to hurt the dog, but to be “calm and assertive and to dominate.”  He didn’t like this new Matt.. but what was I to do?  Finally, I decided that with all the whimpering, maybe this little guy was hungry.  I had a bag full of nuts.. good ones to boot.  The bad news is, there was no one around to consult.  I’ve learned through a few dog owners that some foods are really, really…really bad for them.  What about cashews, macadamia and almonds?  Quick look around.. still no one.  Well, if this ends badly, at least no one will know it was me.  He seemed to take to cashews right away.. and the macadamia nut, wow.. he loved them (and he better at this price!) but the almonds.. not so much, he couldn’t even break them down.  While he was getting some good plant protein I pulled out my bear rope (a 50ft rope used to hang bear bags but actually used for climbing) and a carabineer and made a lead for him.  We were going north, like it or not.  Talk about making my life easier.. wow.  This was awesome.  I snapped a few photos because I can only imagine what people who know me would think when they heard this story.  A couple miles after all this started, I heard someone calling.  “Peeeeeppppper, Pepper!” “PPPPEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPEEERRRRR!”  This silly dog started south again, in a tear.  He was digging hard trying to move but the leash was preventing him going another inch.  The dog was hearing his name bouncing around the leafless valley when in fact, the voice was from the north.  Finally got him turned around and had to let go of the line, he was in a full sprint.  Dog and Master, reunited… awhh.

Sprite, Pepper’s owner, told me that she had stepped off the trail to answer her own call from nature and Pepper was around her but had somehow gotten her scent back south and was ‘racing’ to catch up, which would have never happened.  She’s a former thru-hiker that likes to come out in the early part of the year for a couple hikes and also enjoys giving trail magic.  She was very nice and very happy to have her dog back.  Off I went to Gooch Mountain Shelter.

The day was brilliant, all day long, just the way hikers like.  Plenty of water to be had, less-than-difficult terrain.. Eventually came to Justus Creek.  Sprite had told me that it was a great place to relax and get some water and to camp if you wanted to.  She was right on all counts.  It was very nice indeed.  Took off my pack and purified some water to be made into Gatorade.  Life was good.  Right as I was about to head up Gooch Mountain to the shelter, I saw her and Pepper arrive on the other side of the creek.

The last 1.3 miles was the best so far, the climb was moderate but the weather was perfect. About and hour and a half later, I could make out a clothesline down in a gap and looked up to see the shelter.. I was almost there.

Pulled into the shelter where Groove, SkunkApe, Lil, Bee Chucker, SeattleSailor, BluesTraveler, and Phoenix Rising where hanging out.  I liked the idea of being able to try some items out so I too made my clothesline, then dinner and had the rest of the evening off.  What to do.  Asked if anyone wanted to help with making a fire.. and fortunately SkunkApe was down.

Slowly but surely put together a nice fire to which this group was able to enjoy great conversation over a roaring campfire.  Funny enough, and I knew someone would say this, but Phoenix Rising said “you know, this is how people get trail names.”  I said “maybe” and left it at that.  No need to provoke.  I mean, c’mon, how original is ‘Firestarter,’ ‘Firebug,’ ‘Flame,’ etc? 

Just before dusk set in, a guy named Missing Person came in and was this shelter’s, ‘late guy.’  Sucks, no one wants to be that person, but here was ours.

We chatted over the fire, until the wind kicked up to hard for the actual flames to be any use.  Since I started the fire, I guess, the masses decided that I was the one to make sure it didn’t burn down the forest.  I waited 5-10 minutes and went to bed.  It had rained for days.. any fire would only help dry this place out.  I was asleep in minutes.

mattbob