Day 5 — 12.5 miles
Hightop Hut to US33 at Swift Run Gap to Bearfence Hut
June 6, 2002

Today we slept in. We didn't have far to go to meet my parents.

This morning we said goodbye to our friends from Iowa and wished them a safe trip. It was sad to see them go. We began hiking at about 8:15 and had to go about 3.5 miles to reach Highway 33. About a half-mile before highway 33 we met back up with the Iowa gang and finished their hike with them.

When we got to the highway we used their cameras and took some pictures of all of them as they completed their hike. We got there about 30 min early and had to wait around. When my parents got there, they'd brought sandwiches and brownies. We ate the sandwiches right away and drank some ice water my mom had brought for us. The sandwiches were awesome!

She also had fresh baked brownies for us. We didn't eat them there, instead we packed them as a snack for later in the day. We got our bags out and the box of supplies they had with them and food what we needed. As we were talking, we decided that we would meet again on Saturday when we passed within a few miles of where they would be camping. They agreed that it sounded like a good idea.

So with our food supply replenished, and new plans made, we set off back into the woods. As we left we turned back to see my father taking our picture. We had 9 more miles to hike after leaving them. It was now a little after 11:00 a.m. We pushed hard, but not too hard. Both of us were getting a little sore from the hiking, but we felt pretty good. There were a few good climbs that left us sucking for oxygen at their tops.

We held a good pace throughout the day. At the top of Baldface Mountain we took a rest stop on a great rock outcrop, the views were non-existent, but the place was nice. It was brownie time. We bit into these brownies and fell in love, they were the best brownies ever. Jeremy wanted me to call my mom and make sure she brought more to our next meeting, but I didn't.

After a 10-15 minute break we continued on. In a little while we began a long, steep descent. Just prior to the descent we ran into a southbounder who told us there was a bear about 200 yards ahead. We went quietly, hoping to catch a glimpse, but as luck would have it, we still haven' seen a bear in the park.

At about 2:30 p.m. we arrived at Lewis Mountain Campground and headed straight for the phone and campstore. I hit the phone first, calling Stacey (my wife). It was so good to hear her voice! I really miss her a lot. After we were off the phone I called my aunt and left another message with our progress.

Then I went into the store and bought ice cream, Gatorade and candy. We sat around, resting, relaxing, drinking sweet Gatorade and eating ice cream. About 40 min went by and we decided to take showers. The facilities were very clean. $1 for a 5 minute shower seemed worth every penny. It started out freezing, but I didn't know if it would get warm, so I got in, not wanting to waste any of my 5 minutes. I got right to lathering up. I watched the bottom of the shower darken with 5 days of trail funk.

In about 2 minutes the water got warm, and then hot. It was so nice when the water warmed up. After showering we put our clothes, boots and packs back on and headed the .7 miles to the shelter. Now we're sitting here, rain coming down. The thunder is rolling around in the distance. We have the shelter to ourselves for now, which is really cool.