Day 6 : Tuesday, June 10

(Susan) Things are looking up on the ALT. We left our little cabin at Watoga St Park shortly after 7am and retraced our steps back to the trail. From WSP to where we are camped tonight the trail seemed not only to have greater use, but there was noticable trail maintenance in the form of cleared blowdowns (north of Beaver Creek) and someone has recently been pruning from horseback betn Huntersville and Marlon Mtn.

Other events of the dau:
-Saw several mocassin flowers (Pink Ladyslipper) south of Beaver Cr. Flowers all faded out except on one plant.

-Soaked bug bitten legs in Beaver Cr. Seemed to really reduce the itching-or is this the "placebo effect"?

-Saw a bear along the ridgline on Buckley Mtn. Bounded over the hill when we saw us coming. We must smell worse than I thought.

-Arrived in the hamlet of Huntersville around 2. Four guys were huddled around the hood of a p/u under a big oak tree proving, Dwight said, that the days of the "shade tree mechanic" are NOT dead and gone.

-We got a cool drink {Dwight actually drank a quart of sweet tea) and resupplied at the Chevron in Huntersville. The trail goes right by there. The owner told us a thunderstorm was forcasted for around 5 pm (it was almost 4)--bur that no tonados were expected. Wonderful! While we were sitting out front of the Chervon drinking our beverages and watching folks pump gas, we met a guy who told us that the recent temps were the hottest in the 6 yrs he's lived here.
We also met a Forest Service worker who apologized for the condition of the ALT. "I've tried to take a few crews up there but my boss won't let me--he says it's not a priority."

-We left the Chevron around 4 and hiked the 5 miles to Marlin Mtn Shelter (one of the few on the ALT) arriving around 6:15. The rain arrived at 6:20. How's that for timing. Let's hope it cools thing down.

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