Bob Becomes Yoda

Post date: Apr 04, 2016 4:8:47 AM

Saturday 4/2 Bob, now known as Yoda, and I got a late start, and planned to hike as far as we thought we could go. It was a hard uphill terrain right off the bat and continued for the first 5-6 miles. It was a challenge especially for the first day on the trail and we made it 8 miles before deciding to stop at Groundhog Creek shelter. A short but tough day and not bad for the late start.

We arrived at the shelter and met two nice ladies, Wrangler and MissTexas who were hiking for a few days and certainly had lovely Texas twangs.One lived in North Carolina as a pharmaceutical rep but had moved from Texas, the other worked in Texas with cardiologists putting in pacemakers and defibrillators, like my brother in Kansas City. Both had hammocks up, a fire was going, and they were sipping on drinks spiked with a little vodka.

We set up camp, which was a pretty new experience for Bob, and as we were figuring out his tent, in walked a big bear of a man with his wife and two dogs. He was not just a big guy, but also had a big personality. He had a lot to say and one thing we learned was that he was a mortgage broker during the housing bubble. He brought up Lehman Brothers then Bear Stearns...and so earned his trail name - Bear Stearns of course! I think he kind of liked it.

Next to join us was Cinnamon, a very nice young lady whose parents are Guatemalan and Mexican and had just finished a degree in biology and was hoping to get into medical school.

So we had a Texas Twosome with a Bear in camp, spiced with a little Cinnamon!

The next morning we woke up after a night in the mid 20's. We packed up slowly and as I was putting the last few items into the pack, the sun was just peaking over the hill to the east. I looked over and Bob was sitting on a rock in a meditative pose ready to put in his contact lenses, and an isolated beam of light was illuminating him...and he looked just like Yoda. So since then, he has been known on the trail as Yoda instead of Boston Bobby!

Today we hiked over 13 miles over easier terrain to Walter Mountain Shelter where we are spending the night. At about 2-3 miles we came upon some amazing Trail Magic provided by a family of seven from Texas. Trail Magic is when someone decides to treat the hikers by putting out some food or drink. It is not uncommon to see a cooler full of cold drinks, even beer. This time, however, the family that included the Dad, a retired engineer, Mom and 5 children ranging in age from 11 to 23, were serving 3 meals a day for a week! We just missed the breakfast pancakes, but lunch was starting and we had hot dogs, chips, cookies, brownies, and lots to drink. They had all done the entire AT last year as a family and wanted to come back to do trail magic themselves after knowing how nice it is as a hiker to come upon free FOOD!

Tomorrow on to Hot Springs where we have a reservation at a hostel with a nice bed and shower!

Now at mile 261.