Joker plays "Taps" for a split hare on Max Patch

April 28, 2000 -- Day 28
Destination: Campsite near Walnut Mountain Shelter
Today's miles: 13.1
Trip miles: 257.4

Let's see if I can remember all the way back to this morning. Well, it was wet. The rain began during the night and continued until we started hiking. As usual, it was a cold morning, day and now evening, but the precipitation did stop for a while. We had a long, tough climb for the first half of the day's hike, but Joker and I sang our way up the mountain. The time and miles flew once we started making up a funny hiker song. The chorus started out, "Pain in the morning and pain in the night...." We even sang to some folks going the opposite direction, who seemed to like our song. Well, they applauded anyway ... maybe because we stopped.

Anyhow, today we crossed Max Patch in thick fog. According to the Thru Hiker's Companion, Max Patch was the site of an old homestead. It was originally forested, but early inhabitants cleared the mountaintop for pasture. The expansive summit has also been used as a landing strip for small planes. The U.S. Forest Service purchased the 392-acre, grassy-top mountain in 1982 for the A.T. and now uses mowing and controlled burns to maintain it. Says here that "the wide summit at 4,629 feet offers panoramic views of the Smokies to the south and a glimpse of Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, to the east." I wouldn't know; all we could see was white stuff.

When we came to the top of Max Patch, we saw a strange sight by a white-blazed post: half a hare. The lower half of the rabbit was laying on its back in the grass. I made a bad joke about splitting hares (get it?), and Joker played Taps on his harmonica. It was really kind of eerily (is that a word?) cool up there. The white-blazed wooden posts materialized in the fog every few dozen feet. I'd like to come back and see Max Patch in the warm sunshine, but it was neat to see it the way it was today. Although it was really cold up there.

Back down at a lower elevation, we passed through a sea of white and pinkish trillium. (Joker told me what those flowers are called.) There were some scattered crimson trillium too, which are apparently known also as "Wake-up Robins." They kind of have a stinky, wet dog sorta smell.

At about 3:30, we stopped at Roaring Fork Shelter to prepare hot meals before hiking just 1.8 miles further to this shelter. Before heading out, I put on my fleece pullover, figuring, how much am I gonna sweat in 1.8 miles? But boy did I. Not only was it all uphill, but I hiked faster than I think I have so far. Minutes after leaving Roaring Fork, the thunder and deluge began. Lightening flashed, and I hiked even faster, getting soaked from the inside out. Soon after I reached the very tiny and full shelter, the rain stopped and the sun appeared. All I can do at this point is laugh about this crazy weather.

Grumpy went on ahead today. He wants to get to Hot Springs before the post office closes tomorrow (Saturday). We'll see him there in the afternoon and stay until Monday morning. Joker has a mail-drop to pick up, and I have to send some things home, including this tent I'm lying in. My Clip Flashlite is waiting at the outfitters, where they hold and ship UPS packages.

Oh, geesh, I hear rain again. Figgers.

--Ramkitten