Day 9: Franklin my dear...

Budget Inn Bus
MMM, Ron Haven, JB, Rolex, Cyclone, Cubit, Lyle

We woke up in another hotel. The weather really took us out yesterday. The push to get to Franklin last night took its toll on my body. I think have shin splints and some lung congestion that is a little unsettling. We're bone tired and beat but feelin' good. We did a hundred miles this week and we're moving twice as fast as we did in the beginning so we hope to be up to our schedule in a few weeks. We stopped in Franklin to resupply and it looks like it's going to take us all day. I wanted to be moving on today but I woke up with my lungs gurgling like a faulty snorkel and it kind of freaked me out; so when Doug said, "maybe we should take a zero day?" I pretended to reluctantly agree from under my Budget Inn Bedding, while rubbing my splinted shins and hacking a few raindrops from my saturated lungs.

Dave drove us all around Franklin to take care of some business; including, mailing my hotel key back to the Hiawassee Inn. Of course it turned out to be a beautiful day full of sunshine and commerce as I upgraded my rain prophylactics and got a new bowl and some Gold Bond for the Chapped Ass Syndrome. An interesting side note: Gold Bond medicated powder is a little scary at first when applied to open wounds but the mentholated goodness never gets past a 6 on the pain scale before the benefits kick in :) it also doubles as deodorant if you don’t want to carry a stick of the Old Spice.

We got some dinner at a peanuts-on-the-floor steakhouse and we answered Jeopardy questions on a silent TV while some 19 y/o girl got the Happy Birthday song from the whole crew. I was only staring at her because she was right under the TV, honest, no really, honest...

As we got back to the budget in it was like another reunion; Doc was on the computer, Lil Cubit, Mad Mountain Mike, Just Lyle, and even the secretive guys came walking by. The only one missing was Dances and Wolfie. Maybe the hotel didn't like dogs. Anyway, we met the charismatic owner of the Budget Inn, Ron Haven, toured the town, and watched a lot of really stupid television about crocodiles, hippos, M*A*S*H, Dancing with The Stars (kristy yamaguchi is my pick, although that dance partner of the tall bald guy is unbelievable), Family guy and Adult swim. I can't wait to get back into the woods... TV sucks these days. I managed to get my hands on some Genuine Moonshine so my brothers could try it out. I have never had American Moonshine but I dipped my finger in and dabbed my tongue. I recognized it instantly as the same stuff I’ve had from on of my Serbian Buddies. It tastes like kerosene and knocks you out quicker than Vicodin. Ahhh Memories…

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com

Day 5 Blue Mtn - Deep Gap: Chapped Ass Syndrome

Blue Mountain to Deep Gap Shelter 15 Miles

We got up early and made some hot oatmeal and got on the road about 8 something. Rolex was champin' at the bit ‘cause he's really worried we aren't going to make it on time. His impatience really gets to me. It’s tough because he doesn’t realize he manifests it in his actions and his comments but when I start to feel behind schedule I start to feel old and weak and it really bruises my ego; which makes me want to attack him in the only way I have the power to do so, verbally and emotionally. The thing is, I’m too conniving to explain all that to him, I just passive aggressively dig into him in an effort to make myself feel better. I have to stop it. This trail is going to really bring out my character flaws. I keep tellin' him we're going to be getting faster as time goes on and that Cyclone and I can only go as fast as our bodies allow us; but, he can’t help the signals of impatience that he gives off any more than I can help picking them up.I have to stop throwing little jabs his way to relieve my feelings of inadequacy.

Somewhere along the hike yesterday I got renamed to "Jukebox" and I think it's going to stick. I like singing while I hike but some of these hills are downright painful and I can’t breathe, let alone sing. I nearly passed out today. We hit this one hill and it just went up and up and up and up and then it kept going up. The fog was thick so you couldn’t see where the hill was ending; or, it would look like it was going to end but then it would turn a corner and there was a whole lot more hill to climb. I got to the top of one and even after stopping for a few minutes I couldn’t catch my breath. I was in so much pain that seemed to be coming from everywhere in my body at once and I couldn’t stop breathing a hundred miles an hour when I started to pass out. It was pouring rain and even though we're wearing rain gear, everything is getting wet from sweat and exertion so as soon as you stop, you're freezing. Rolex stayed with me while I recuperated on a wet log that crossed the trail. I didn’t want him to see me like that, I just wanted him to go on up ahead and let me die alone. Of course, if he had left me I would have been cursing his name, the bastard!

I never thought that Georgia would be this cold in May. My sleeping bag isn't really heavy enough and it gets cold enough that it's hard to sleep; and I could really use a good night’s sleep right now. We'll get adjusted, but this certainly no walk in the park, especially trying to knock out 20 mile days every day. I just tell Rolex, we'll get as far as we can and if we don’t make it, we'll finish it next summer. I don't want to have to do that but if it happens so be it. We stayed in a pretty cool shelter though. It had an upstairs area and we met back up with Doc. She went ahead, cause she was freezing too and I had to stop. I had no air at the end of that one hill. I have never experienced anything like it.

The Steri-pen has some rechargeable batteries and we charged them up with the juice from Cyclone's Solar Panel, thank God; however, those batteries don’t last as long and we're going to have to stop in town again. There is a road three miles after Deep Gap but we simply couldn't go any further today, at least, me and Cyclone couldn't. Rolex seems to be doing better but I know he's hurting too. Because of the constant wetness, I'm dealing with a major case of Chapped Ass Syndrome and I see no end in sight (pun intended). We cross a major Highway tomorrow and I think we're going to try to get a ride to Hiawassee and pick up supplies and batteries for the water purifier. Maybe we’ll stay in a motel or something. God, that would be nice!

David AKA "Jukebox"

Website:
http://www.brotherproof.com
Blog:
http://brotherproof.blogspot.com
Pictures:
http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproof
Film:
http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brotherproof
David's Website:
http://www.davidpatrone.com