1300  5/16/06 After Cindy and I said our goodbyes to our hiking companions on Friday May 12, 2006 we headed, via a two car caravan, to Pat and my Daughter's home in Chapel Hill, NC. We went there to attend our granddaughter, Laura Haythorn's, graduations. We didn't leave the trailhead until about 5:30 p.m.. Cindy did a great job following me on the trip. We stopped for a fill-up of overpriced gasoline east of Old Fort, NC and got a Subway. We endured a rainstorm and arrived at Peggy and Mark Haythorn's at about 11:10 p.m.. Pat had flown up and would fly back to Florida on Tuesday. Mark and his son Mike, accompanied Cindy to the motel in Hillsboro. Rooms were at a premium because of the UNC Graduation.

Saturday morning we attended Laura's graduation from the School Of Nursing. Laura is the tall, good looking graduate near the center. In Sunday afternoon we attended the mass graduation for all of the 5,000 folks from all of the schools at the University Of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in the Tar Heel Football Stadium. Peggy and Mark had a nice dinner party for their family and neighbors after the graduation ceremonies. Tillroe Smith had called me at the Haythorns so I called him back and he decided to drive up to his camper in Cherokee and hike with me on Tuesday. He insisted that I stay with him. It didn't take much arm twisting because he is a great host and delightful company..

I headed back to Tillroe Smith's camper in Cherokee, NC on Monday morning. I stopped at the same gasoline station as we had stopped at on the way to Chapel Hill and found the price had increased six cents per gallon in the past two days. I stopped at Shoney's in Waynesville, NC and had a great buffet lunch. I arrived at Tillroe's camper at about 3:00 p.m. and found him working. After a short visit, I took a nap and he mowed the grass and did a few other chores. I tried to treat him to dinner at big Bob's but he insisted that he had plenty of food for both of us. The micro waved fresh corn was really fine, along with the other fixings'. 

We agreed to get up early enough to have breakfast at Hardee's when they opened. I told him about my delay there before my last Friday's hike. We got up and arrived at Hardee's at 6:00 a.m. sharp and rattled the locked door. As my previous visit the lady inside held up six fingers. I in return pointed at my watch and held up six fingers. She then ignored me again. After about ten minutes she turned all the lights on and unlocked the door grousing that it was one minute early. I told her that my watch was synchronized to the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, DC. She replied that everything in Washington was screwed up including the time. I was at a loss for words at that retort. I ordered coffee and the low carb omelet and it was great. Tillroe ordered biscuits' and gravy plus other things.

We were late and we were further delayed while the folks working on repaving the road, pulled two large machines that chewed up the old pavement out in front of us and crept slowly up the mountain. I did not want to stop as we passed the sunrise view point so I took a photo out of the speeding window of the car. When we arrived at the Alum Bluff Trailhead about 10 minutes late. Tom Grubbs from Albertville, AL was there but B and G Watson from Gadsden had headed on up the trail and Wally and Sharon Houston from Tampa had not shown. They really had said that they would see us on our way down so we went ahead. It was 35 degrees and very foggy as Tom, Tillroe and I started hiking.

I was just about as cold as I had been last Friday but I knew that I would warm up by the time that we reached the first footlog. The mini cascades of Styx Branch were interesting, as were the little waterfalls. We cleared Arch Rock and continued past the fourth and final footlog. We took a breather at Inspiration point but it was too cloudy for any great views. Tillroe thought that I made a great view so he snapped a picture of me in my favorite hiking position. Shortly after we resumed hiking we met Henry Neel from the lodge. He has recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq courtesy of his National Guard unit. Tillroe asked him if he was going to volunteer to go back for an encore. Henry in effect asked if he were CRAZY. While we were chatting, Tim Line and his youngest son Jacob hiked up, heading for the lodge. A young man from Michigan's Upper Peninsula overtook and passed us. It was too foggy to see the Eye of the Needle. It was even foggy inside of the Alum Cave Bluff. We took a short snack break at Gracie's Pulpit but it was too foggy to take any pictures. I did photograph a white trillium at the saddle.

We met a group of overnight guest near the new log steps from Cashiers', NC. I have met them many times during past hikes. Tom and Tillroe kept well ahead of me, which is the way that I like it. We continued meeting folks from Cashiers, NC. That included Ann Austin on my right, and Marcia Moore and John McCarley on my left. Ed Hudson took the picture., Seventy two-years-old John Davis overtook us and chatted a while. Above the upper steps, we finally met the Watson's who left the trailhead without us. I will punish them by including several pictures of them. They even sent me a picture that they had taken. I found a lone Canada Violet in the grass at Grassy Slide.

It was still foggy as we climbed Betty Jane's Stairway to Heaven. Near the site of the Old Horse Gate we met the last of the Jack Huff group, a father and his two teenage sons. The lodge was about 35 degrees and spitting sleet. I stopped by the water faucet and filled my CamelBak with fresh water and walked over to the dining room to take a picture confirming our arrival. I went inside the office and scribbled my name on the register and even goofed and also put my name where the city of Jensen Beach, FL should have gone. My hands and brain were very cold. I took a picture of the 2005 weather data and will post it on my web site later this week.

We took a seat around the unlit stove. Chris Virden, the lodge manager and Anna tried to light it but they didn't have any success. Anna posed for me trying to warm me up but it didn't work. I decided that we could not warm the place up with our body heat so I told the folks good bye as Tom, Tillroe and I took our leave. We Expected to met Wally and Sharon Houston from Tampa, FL below Cliff Tops, but instead we met their hiking mates Rob & Sherry Kaniper of Knoxville, TN.    They apologized for sleeping in and not meeting us not the trailhead.

There were no views because of the fog but we were blessed with no rain or falling snow although it was cold enough. We took a snack break at Gracie's Pulpit. A young couple from Oklahoma, that we had met at the lodge passed us by but not without chatting a while. The visibility was improving slightly as we reached the bluff. We could at least see the Eye of the Needle but did not see any peregrine falcons as we had seen on our hike last Friday. I took another shot to see if I could locate their nest beneath the Eye of the Needle.

We arrived back at the trailhead a little after 4:15, said our goodbyes and headed out but not before Tom opened his cooler and gave Tillroe and me a cold orange flavored soda. Thanks guys and Tillroe our prayers are with you upon your upcoming neck surgery. Tom E-mailed me that he had spent the night in Gatlinburg and hiked to the lodge again Wednesday. Thanks Guys for the company.