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 Day 11, April 13

Blue Ridge Swag to Cowart Gap


Last night (April 12th), Rocky and I arrived at Blue Ridge Swag as the sun was going down.  The closest water was 1 1/2 miles away, so we ended up with a dry camp.  For dinner, we feasted on tortillas, cheese, beef sticks, and granola bars.




It was cold and very windy during the night.  Rocky and I managed well inside Rocky's portable dog house (otherwise known as my tent), tucked into our down sleeping bags.

The trail today was extremely steep both climbing and going downhill.  It seemed like we were on a giant rip saw, with steep ups and equally steep downs, with not much flat space in-between.

A bright spot today was that we received trail magic at Dick's Gap.  Rocky and I both ate a couple of hot dogs, enjoyed cold drinks, and partook of the other goodies offered.  In addition to the food, there was a lot of lively conversation, ranging from Rocky's pack to mushroom preparation.  

This is big SHOUT-OUT AND THANK YOU!!! to the Sturgill family:  AT alumni Yolo (You Only Live Once), Scott, Cassie, and Ron.



After our feast, we hiked a few more miles and made camp at Cowart Gap.  Both of us are exhausted and are looking forward to sleep.  Make that I am looking forward to sleep.  Rocky is already there.



Note from Sally:

At Cowart Gap, Titanium (Dan) and Rocky are at approximately mile 72 of the AT.  The first shelter in North Carolina is at mile 81, so they will most likely be crossing the state line by the next post.

Several people have asked me how Dan manages to send the blog material.  He is texting his narrative, photos, and videos to me.  Although he has a solar charger, it doesn't hold charge all that long, and he has to turn off his phone most of time to save battery.  When he camps for the night, he often has just enough signal to text me but not call.  If he has no signal at all, he can still send me a short message via his Garmin to let me know where he is and that he and Rocky are okay.  Because his phone has to be off so much, it is difficult for him to answer texts from people.  He does appreciate all the well wishes very much though!

And from the Homefront:

Yesterday was the first day in our year of keeping bees that I took care of them all by myself.  Success!  I was so proud.  The video on top is of the bees when I arrived at our cabin.  The photo on the bottom is after I added a couple of new frames to one hive and a honey super box on top of each hive.  




Then I got a little cocky.  About an hour later I decided to stroll over to take another video without my bee suit on.  Typically, this would be fine, but the bees were still upset with me for disturbing them.  A "guard" bee chased me about 100 yards to the cabin's back deck and swirled around my head until finally stinging me on the neck.  That will teach me to get cocky!
By the way, the enclosure you see around the bees was built by Dan and includes a solar-powered electric wire.  The AT is not the only place in the Southeast with black bears!

Finally, Rocky has been absent long enough now that Rosie is growing closer to her old, older brother.  12-year-old Zap is putting up well with the extra attention.  



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