Day 40 (Thursday, May 22nd) - Vandeventer Shelter to Low Gap 452.4

Today's Miles: 17.90
Trip Miles: 452.40

A foggy start

It's amazing how the kindness of a stranger can turn the day around.

Our morning began in the rain after another night of 60 mph gusts and a thunderstorm. Not much sleep worrying about the tent. It took the wind with no problem, but the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 still has a leaky floor. We have a new tent body coming thanks to the Administrator and Ron from Big Agnes, unfortunately we have to make do until we get it. We're not soaked, just uncomfortable. We tried making adjustments like lifting the edges of the footprint, but to no avail. We haven't seen the issue with other BA's.

Oh, I forgot to mention, we met Heike here. She is the German woman we met at Fontana Dam. A very nice lady and always a pleasure to speak with.

We packed up in the drizzle and headed out. I don't know if it was the miserable weather or the accumulation of miles, I just couldn't get going. I was leg weary and just plain tired. We slogged through the morning, heads down and quiet.

Slowly, the sun began to show through the fog and mist to lift our spirits a bit. Around noon it broke through completely and the day became more pleasant. We knew we were coming to a road with a parking area and thought we could dry out our wet gear. At about ten miles out we got to TN 91. It was a big lot with wooden fences to hang our soaked stuff on. We draped everything and the sun and wind did their work. Some hikers came through and we chatted. An older man heading south, packless came into the parking area. He was from the little town down the road and out for a day hike. He asked if he could give M and N a ride to town and back for food. They said "Sure," and off they went with a promise to bring me some goodies.

While I waited, some other thrus came by, among them Dandelion and her dog, Zodiac, who were at the shelter last night and whom I had been thinking of all morning. When we were leaving this a.m. I saw that Dandelion had some duct tape on her knee. When I asked her about it she said she had fallen on the road at the dam and cut it. I thought then that I should give her a bandage or something, but didn't want to look like a such a dad. Well, I am a dad, so this time I told her to take the duct tape off so I could bandage it right. She's about 21/22 and seems like a sweet kid. Kind of a hippie from my time, she just struck a chord with me. The gauze under the duct tape was stuck to the wound and we wet it to ease it off. I cleaned it up with alcohol, put a three way anti-biotic on a real bandage and covered it up. You would have thought I'd given her gold.

About then the kids came back, they hopped out of the truck and before I could thank him, the day hiker drove off. They were loaded with goods and when I went to see what they got they told me that Dennis, the man who had driven them to town, had paid for it all. I was flabbergasted. Mike said it was over fifty dollars and Dennis had refused to let them pay. He said he knew it cost a lot to hike and he wanted to help out. We invited Dandelion over to enjoy the gifts we'd been given and just could not believe the kindness we'd just received.

Dandelion thanked us and left a while before we did. After packing up we headed out for Abingdon Gap Shelter. The trail led through a field of flowers and we were buoyed by the sunshine and the gift of kindness that Dennis had given us. Thank you, Dennis! A short way down the path, where you couldn't help but see it, was a heart of flowers; dandelions surrounding little daisy-like blooms, a gift for a bandaged knee. One of the best days yet.

We tired out before we made the gap. Mike didn't feel well and we had heard of a stomach bug going around so we camped at Low Gap, mile 452.4. Not a bad little site. I set the tents up and Natalie made some supper. Mike tried to get comfortable, but it seems the bug had gotten him. Tomorrow we'll be in Virginia and we may take a zero in Damascus.

Thanks again Dennis!  

Heike at Vandeventer Shelter

Dandelion at Vandeventer Shelter