April 13, 1997 (Day 25 – milepoint 234.3 – Davenport Gap/Mountain Mama’s)

Holy cold! I hiked with Small World today – early 20’s from Illinois whose hiking partner, Devin, is off the trail nursing an injury. Hope to have him back soon. Small World introduced me to the term “rime” today, not the poetry kind, but as it relates to a natural occurrence very similar to frost. A very thick fog lingered overnight and when the temperature dropped, it froze and crystallized the fog, which then attached itself to every tree, bush, and plant in the forest. Made for a beautiful scene.

Rime frost

Great hiking with a female.

Small World and I arrived at Davenport Gap, the northern terminus of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We planned to visit a place called Mountain Mama’s for cheeseburgers and I was sure I remembered the guidebook saying “left 2.5 miles” so I didn’t bother pulling it out and Small World just blindly trusted me.

After a mile or so walking and talking, we heard a truck coming up the road. “Great, a ride,” we thought. Our thumbs went up, the truck stopped, and a woman poked her head out the window and said in a sharp Southern-mountain twang, “Whar d’y'all think yer goin’?”

I, in my flat Midwestern tone, replied, “We’re hoping to get to Mountain Mama’s just up the road here.”

She said, “Mountain Mama’s? Well, yer plum goin’ the wrong way. Its on back that away 2 miles.” (Ugh) “I’m on my way to church, but I reckon it’d be my good deed fer the day to take you folks back there. Hop on in the back!”

Mountain Mama’s Kuntry Store:

“We haz Ice and Fire-wud.”

“Eat ice cream! It’s good and we need the money.”

A man with enormous lamb chops was attaching old license plates to a white trailer and washing it. A large multi-colored Totem pole stood outside. We went inside, I removed my warm gloves and hat, and proceeded to eat a huge double cheeseburger, a chili dog with the works, and two enormous scoops of ice cream. I was still hungry, but decided to catch a shower and find my bunk for the night.

Sleeping quarters are two very small shack-like structures with six bunks in each. I chose the baby blue “Hilton” over the pink “Honeymoon Suite,” joined by Small World, Big Bird, Aunt Marty, and Skydiver. Skydiver (about 60 years old) got his name by falling 9 feet out of a bunk at a place called the Blueberry Patch in Hiawassee, GA. He snagged a low bunk tonight.

Support your local economy – eat ice cream!

Aquaholic

April 13, 2009

Hey Aquaholic,

Today was a low mood day. Got a little bit of work done, but not much. Went for a walk in the afternoon. Played an evening soccer game. Came home and just relaxed.