Cheese Factory site

Rained again last night but appears to have stopped now. T and I got a fire going in the fire ring last night much to everyone's delight. I didn't think we would, but on the second try it worked. I kept blowing and blowing on it til it took—with a crowd around me I was not goint to sing to Tatewari! Standing around the fire last night made me wistful that I'm not thru-hiking with these guys—the group I've seen to fallen in with—but at the same time I'm not so sad because the hiking is difficult physically. Jamie and Gerber showed off their tuna can stoves last night; mighty impressive. CW finally pulled in about 5p, a little after Mike and Andrew came in, rested, and moved on; they're trying to make up for a slow start. Didn't see Whiskers Mike at all. Oh, and I finally met the Belgian (Fossil, but everybody calls him "the Belgian"). I signed his map, which he asks everyone to do. Most people say "the Belgian" and roll their eyes, but he was only in our camp for a little bit before heading down to the shelter to crash.

Today's hiking will be mixed: the trail from here to Unicoi Gap is mostly level ridge-walking, but after that is Rocky Mtn, with an almost 1000-foot ascent and descent. Aiming for the Cheese Factory site for a 13-mile day. that will leave 11.7 miles for Friday's hike to Hwy 76 and a ride into Hiawassee.

Cheese Factory site, 5pm I've been here for about an hour. The palatial 'mid is set up. I've got water and my camp clothes on. Tomorrow will be a long day: 12.5 miles to the highway where I catch a ride into town. My plan is to go to the Blueberry Patch hostel, get a bunk, a shower, and my clothes washed. Then maybe a restaurant, though food ins't a big priority so far. I don't feel underfed. But I will need to resupply and must figure out my ride to ATL.

The Cheese Factory is jumping: T and Dutch are here, along with six others. Leprechaun and Numbers pushed on; probably what Gerber, Jazz and Jamie did, too. I've got to write down a story Jamie told yesterday that had me chuckling all day. Just before Damascus, if you push, you can hike in four states in one day. To reach the last state, you have to cross to the other side of a bridge in Damascus. The guy he was hiking with was so tired, though, that he blew off the bridge and headed straight for the motel. When Jamie caught up with him in the loby, the clerk was saying, "All we have left are smoking rooms," to which the tired hiker replied "I don't care if the m****'s on fire"—it's still making me laugh. Okay. I'm getting up to make some noodles and tea.

One more note. T made it official: I'm now Bedouin on the trail, on account of the 'mid looking like some sheik's desert tent, and my desert hiking.

It's a little after 7pm, and i"m in the 'mid because it just started raining, even though Dutch assured us it would be clear tonight and lovely tomorrow. Porkchop said earlier that if he's wrong she would throw things at him.