May 20, 2015 - Camping Monk

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Today was a chore day. Both of us puttered, straightened up, put things away, etc. The motorhome is still a mess. Just like on the boat, we have too much stuff.

A group of about 16 arrived in the group site.

There was another first for me in the campground this morning. A Buddhist monk is camped in Site 5. He was very pleasant. His buddy was studying the trail map so Andy gave them hiking advice.

  

Two young women came in and chose Site 3. We gave them a Smokies Guide and suggested the Big Creek Trail. Later, Maintenance Linda came to the RV with a cell phone that someone had left in the ladies room of the campground. Andy saw the two women in the parking lot and, when they asked, told them the phone was in the host site. She was so happy to get it back.

I did laundry all day. My little washer/dryer combo only does a few pieces at a time. If I put too much in, the clothes come out looking like crepe paper. We are somewhat wrinkled most of the time.

Boss Larry stopped by to check on us. He said he couldn’t stay long, but did sit and chat for a few minutes. We are going to have campers in the group site through the weekend. Three or four campsite will be filled in the horse camp.

The tent campground was full in the evening. It was also like old-home week. The man with Parkinson’s Disease was in Site 2. Darn, I’ll have to get his name tomorrow. Windy and Lisa are in Site 9 with their 14-month-old Grandson. Junior is in Site 8. The group of six men are in Site 12. These are all people we know because we have met them here in the past. I took us a long time to walk around tonight.

The little grandson is non-stop. At one point, he was going too fast on a slope and went face first into the gravel. He got a good bump on his forehead. He got over it quickly with a little distraction and a band-aid.

These two men were making music in Site 11. They are local and said they have been camping here for over 40 years. The one on the left is playing what he called a hiker’s guitar. It has a little battery powered amplifier. Also, that red thing on the top of his head is not a rose. It’s a headlamp. His young son had one too and was shining it in my eyes.

We talked to the men in Site 12 for a long time. They had just finished dinner and had a half-rack of ribs on the grill. They convinced us to take them home because they had been eating ribs for two days. I’m glad we did. We had them for our evening snack and they were delicious. I’m thinking of hitting Site 12 for breakfast tomorrow.

On the radio:

A turkey had been hit by a car and was wandering or flopping around in the road and “disturbing people”. Well, the people were probably not as disturbed as the poor turkey. It sounded as though some rangers were going to get it off the road.

About 1300 a 72-year-old man fell on some rocks on the trail. A nurse was in the party and had bandaged him up. They were attempting to walk in down the trail to Newfound Gap. The ranger said to tell them to continue down the trail and she would meet them at the trailhead. Hours later, he was out.

A large black male bear was hanging around the Laurel Falls trail. The Laurel Falls Rover could not convince it to leave and called for help. Several voices chimed in saying they were on the way. Later, a ranger called in to say the bear was gone and it was not the same bear that was there in the morning.

At 1830 three or four rangers were responding to an incident on the Foothills Parkway. Blount County had reported it to the park. A man and woman were at an overlook having a fight. Witnessed must have reported seeing the man strike the woman. Later someone said that the man had left the park. One park ranger was going to check out the scene to see if the woman or witnesses were still there.

A concerned grandparent called the park about hikers who had not returned from the Rainbow Falls trail about 2145. They had talked to them by phone and they were still on the trail. The ranger 401 said he would drive to the trailhead to see if their car was still parked there. The grandparents knew the make and color of the car. At 2215 Ranger 401 reported finding a black Honda at the Rainbow Falls trailhead. Ranger 401 said he would be out on foot. Ranger 401 thought that, given the good weather, they might just have to stay on the trail tonight. Then they got the kid on his low-battery cell phone. He was not on Rainbow Falls trail but on Bull Head. Ranger 401 said for them to keep walking. Dispatch asked if he was going to walk up to meet them, and he responded that if they knew where they were, had water, and were in good health, they should just keep walking and call the park when they got down. They only had about an hour to go. About 2325, Dispatch called 401 to report that the hiker had called to say he was approaching the parking lot.

At 2305 rangers were out in the woods near Husky Grove, by the river looking for “that item”. One said they needed to “get eyes on it” so they could send it to (an organization whose name I forgot). They talked back and forth several times but I could not figure out what they were saying.