Not a great night's sleep Saturday night, in spite of the tiring day, because there were too many thoughts to be thunk. I kept going over my gear list to see what I could secretly pass off on Jim to lighten my load (the answer: nothing! He is too smart for me.) My left ankle was hurting with boots that I had been wearing for months and I was worried about walking 8-9 miles back to the boat shuttle. I knew that Jim's feet were bothering him and that he had blisters forming. We needed to leave by 7:30 AM to ensure getting back before the boat arrived, which meant getting up by 6:30 AM to pack up. Whenever I have an early wakeup time in an unfamiliar place I don't sleep well. And so I lay there obsessing and listening to...you guessed it...Hazel Creek.
It was much colder Sunday morning and there was much debate between Jim and me as to how many clothes to leave on, since once we started walking we would quickly heat up. We skipped cooking (again) in our haste to get things packed up. We really need to get better at the food thing because part of our tiredness came from not eating sufficiently to fuel our hiking. Elliott had left at the unbelievable hour of 6:00 AM to catch the 10:00 AM shuttle back. The rest of us hit the trail by about 7:30 AM and headed down Hazel Creek Trail for the final time. People walked and talked in different combinations but we were all focused on getting to the shuttle, so people often walked alone. I liked that about this group - everyone was respected as being self-sufficient, and if you asked for help it was given, but no one watched to see if you were "doing it right". Walking and talking with Danny kept my mind off my limping as we discussed future trips together and more history of the area. Again we passed through the flat areas beside the creek that once were filled with homes and businesses. Fading daffodils, a sure sign of the human touch, could be seen here and there. Although I would not be back on the Hazel Creek Trail anytime soon, I will be on the Lakeshore Trail going through Proctor and I want to be sure to look for the cemeteries and things that Danny talked about.
We now pause for this brief advertisement for Danny's current book, future book and website at http://www.hikertohiker.com/.
At the first trail intersection (we were staying on Hazel Creek but intersections helped mark the distances) Jim and Danny and I removed long underwear. There is no modesty in hiking, boys and girls! The temperature was great for hiking, a little cooler than Saturday but still very comfortable. If not for our foot maladies Jim and I would have enjoyed the walk out much more. As it was, he eventually pulled out ahead and concentrated on getting to the end. I left him alone so that he would continue to like me and consider hiking with me in the future.
As we passed one campsite we saw a large group that had pulled three carts filled with camping equipment and had set up residence. I'm talking chairs, Dutch ovens, big tents, eating pavilion, tablecloths, etc. They pulled these things nearly FIVE MILES. This is allowed at a couple of campsites in the Hazel Creek area where horses are not allowed, the rationale being that if horses and carts went together there would be even more stuff hauled in and an even greater impact on the site. I was thankful that we had not camped there.
Everyone reached the lake by about 11:20 AM and quickly doffed packs and donned clothing, as standing still by the water with a wind blowing makes for shivering. We were relieved to be in place on time and joked about how we would represent our trip to friends as a survival ordeal. Cheers from everyone when the shuttle arrived at 11:40 AM! The ride back to the marina was very cold. We carried our packs one last time up the hill to the cars, said our thank-yous and goodbyes, and everyone went their separate ways. Jim and I went back to the Fontana Village general store for a soda and a Moon Pie to make everything all better, then began the long four-hour drive back to Charlotte (well, Jim drove while I examined the insides of my eyelids...)
It was much colder Sunday morning and there was much debate between Jim and me as to how many clothes to leave on, since once we started walking we would quickly heat up. We skipped cooking (again) in our haste to get things packed up. We really need to get better at the food thing because part of our tiredness came from not eating sufficiently to fuel our hiking. Elliott had left at the unbelievable hour of 6:00 AM to catch the 10:00 AM shuttle back. The rest of us hit the trail by about 7:30 AM and headed down Hazel Creek Trail for the final time. People walked and talked in different combinations but we were all focused on getting to the shuttle, so people often walked alone. I liked that about this group - everyone was respected as being self-sufficient, and if you asked for help it was given, but no one watched to see if you were "doing it right". Walking and talking with Danny kept my mind off my limping as we discussed future trips together and more history of the area. Again we passed through the flat areas beside the creek that once were filled with homes and businesses. Fading daffodils, a sure sign of the human touch, could be seen here and there. Although I would not be back on the Hazel Creek Trail anytime soon, I will be on the Lakeshore Trail going through Proctor and I want to be sure to look for the cemeteries and things that Danny talked about.
We now pause for this brief advertisement for Danny's current book, future book and website at http://www.hikertohiker.com/.
At the first trail intersection (we were staying on Hazel Creek but intersections helped mark the distances) Jim and Danny and I removed long underwear. There is no modesty in hiking, boys and girls! The temperature was great for hiking, a little cooler than Saturday but still very comfortable. If not for our foot maladies Jim and I would have enjoyed the walk out much more. As it was, he eventually pulled out ahead and concentrated on getting to the end. I left him alone so that he would continue to like me and consider hiking with me in the future.
As we passed one campsite we saw a large group that had pulled three carts filled with camping equipment and had set up residence. I'm talking chairs, Dutch ovens, big tents, eating pavilion, tablecloths, etc. They pulled these things nearly FIVE MILES. This is allowed at a couple of campsites in the Hazel Creek area where horses are not allowed, the rationale being that if horses and carts went together there would be even more stuff hauled in and an even greater impact on the site. I was thankful that we had not camped there.
Everyone reached the lake by about 11:20 AM and quickly doffed packs and donned clothing, as standing still by the water with a wind blowing makes for shivering. We were relieved to be in place on time and joked about how we would represent our trip to friends as a survival ordeal. Cheers from everyone when the shuttle arrived at 11:40 AM! The ride back to the marina was very cold. We carried our packs one last time up the hill to the cars, said our thank-yous and goodbyes, and everyone went their separate ways. Jim and I went back to the Fontana Village general store for a soda and a Moon Pie to make everything all better, then began the long four-hour drive back to Charlotte (well, Jim drove while I examined the insides of my eyelids...)
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