Day 12 - 12th April 2010 - Bly Gap to Beech Gap - 12 miles

Today is a very steep climb, the steepest so far. We climb 3,000 ft and descend 2,500 ft over 12 miles. We climb to Standing Indian ridgeline with great views.

View from Standing Indian

Another view from Standing Indian

We meet a group of 4 hikers walking south who tell us there is an Australian girl - hiker with a broken foot at the motel in Franklin, which is our next town.

Ramp diggers

 We meet a group of local men, out hunting for 'ramps'. This is a local delicacy - a bit like a spring onion. It is a native plant on the forest floor and everyone has their own secret place to find the best ramps. Local towns hold ramp festivals and cooking with ramps is a big part of the local culture and history. We taste one, and they taste OK, but we do wonder a bit what all the fuss is about.

At Beech Gap, we share the campsite for the second night in a row with two young men - 'Food Network' and 'mr T', and watch as they prepare an amazing Mexican meal, with lots of spices and fancy bits and pieces. They have also collected ramps to be added to their meal. Digby and I eat our boring rice, rampless. Our dinners come from the Continental instant rice meals that you see in supermarkets. Different flavours but we basically eat the same meal for the next 6 months except when we are in town, when we can let our hair down. The advantage is that this rice can be cooked in one pot. Our brand new one litre titanium pot that cost an arm and a leg, but which is lightweight.

Both young men are overweight and have spare tyres around their middles. They are thru-hikers because there are no jobs, so they may as well do something with their time and walk the trail. Mr T has a tarp-tent and is very cold that night.Food Network has this trail name because he loves cooking and watches the Food Network on TV cable, and his voice can mimic the dulcet tones of the TV announcer on that channel.