.November 16, 2006
I've had to jump around a lot the last few days to accommodate my sore knee. It's time to start joining some of these scattered pieces of the trail together. Hopefully I can get everything connected before having to return home. With the current condition of my knee, I realize I won't be able to do the Dragon's Tooth section of the trail unless I shorten that segment some more. Have you noticed my hikes have been getting shorter and shorter. Well, today I am doing just a tiny 7.6 mile hike. Hopefully this will give my knee a chance to rest for tomorrow's big hike. I will just be climbing one mountain today, Brush Mountain.
We got a lot, and I mean a lot, of rain last night. All the streams and creeks are flooded. I have to cross a river at the end of today's hike, hopefully I won't have to swim across. We started at Trout Creek which was moving right along.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The trail started going up right away.
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Lynn always makes sure we are wearing orange, so I have given her the position of Safety Chief. I'd regret this tomorrow, when she uses this 'authority' to stop me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Lynn and Madison headed back while I continued to climb.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I got a kick out of this birdhouse someone built. Do you think they could have squeezed a few more acronyms and abbreviations on there.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The rain had cleared, and I had beautiful blue skies.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This was a great hike to do with the leaves off the trees. There really wouldn't have been too many views otherwise.
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Next came the side trail to the Audie Murphy Monument. This could be easily missed. There is only a small weathered sign for southbound hikers. The monument is only about 50 yards off the trail. Audie Murphy was America's most decorated war hero during World War II. He received every decoration for valor that America had to offer plus 5 decorations presented to him by France and Belgium. He played himself in the movie "To Hell and Back." Sadly, he died in a plane crash in 1971 near this spot.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It must have been quite a job getting this huge piece of stone onto the mountain.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ There were some framed pictures sealed in a plastic bag.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ There was a bench so I stopped to rest my knee for a few minutes.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Cairns are used not only to mark the trail, but are sometimes used as memorials. There were several small cairns around the monument. I decided I would honor our war hero by adding a small stone of my own. I added my stone to the top of one of the cairns, stepped back, and watched the cairn topple over. Oops!! I rebuilt the cairn. Then I went to read the memorial again. I moved my foot forward and toppled over another one. With all my hiking, I've never knocked over a cairn, and now I've knocked over two in as many minutes. Here I was trying to remember and honor our war hero, and I nearly wiped out his memorial single-handed. I rebuilt the second cairn and slowly walked away. It was time to leave before I did any more damage.
I had a wide trail on the top of this ridge.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I came across another bench.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The wide trail I was on kept going straight, but the AT takes a turn at this bench. I may have missed the turn if the bench hadn't tipped me off. I had a smooth trail heading down the mountain. The leaves had blown out of the way, and I could even see some of the trail for a change.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A look back at the ridge I just walked.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ As I neared the valley, I could hear the sound of water. Then I came to my first of several bridges.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ These little creeks were really moving along. What will the river look like at the end?
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ What's wrong with this picture?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ How do you hike the AT? Just follow the white blazes wherever they take you. I just left my boots on and waded through this knee deep water.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I met Lynn and Madison coming the other way. Lynn had come in as far as she dared. The floods were behind me. I still had to cross the river but it had a good size bridge.
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Well, that was an adventure. I'll definitely need to put my boots on the heater tonight. They are just a tad bit damp.
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