mountain squid

Once again to Spivey Gap. Last Fri we made another trip to our furthest access point. As before, there were several groups, each with different missions.

My mission sent me back to No Business Knob shelter with Jim. We delivered a shovel, broom and the Shelter Log. The fire ring was a mess, filled with years worth of ashes and dirt. In fact the fire ring was actually non-existent. The rocks had been scattered leaving just a pile of ashes and dirt. The shovel was about to be useful.

We began digging out the fire pit. We had a heavy duty bag to hold some ashes so that they could be dispersed away from the shelter and out of view. We filled it about 10 times and carefully distributed the ashes (next time you are at the shelter, see if you can find 'em). Once we got it down to ground level we would rearrange some rocks to make an actual ring. But I dug just a little too deep . . .

I hit something. What could it be? This was turning into an archeological dig. I thought about past hikers who may have stayed here for the night. I kept digging. Might I find an ancient eating utensil like a titanium spork, left behind by a hiker who packed up too quickly to notice it was missing? maybe a preserved, half eaten snickers bar or some petrified m&m's, revealing the dietary habits of hikers? maybe the tip of a hiking pole used to poke a fire, inadvertently broken off and then buried and forgotten until now? or perhaps the fibers of a burnt sock that got just a little too close to a long extinguished fire? It was fascinating to think of the possibilities . . . .

Well, of course, it was none of those things. It was in fact the original fire ring. Buried deep and rusting away. We dug it out and carefully lined the outer edge of it with available rocks. It may be the nicest fire ring on the trail now. Go check it out sometime, it is something to behold . . . and then don't forget to mention in the shelter log just how awesome it is. You might even find yourself talking about it all way to ME. You will certainly be comparing it to other fire rings along the trail . . . and, sadly, they will not measure up. We have set the bar to high.

As we admired our work, it was hard to leave, but we had to be getting back. There were a bunch of blow downs that we still needed to clear. Reluctantly we began our journey back to the rest of the group.

We finally met up with our fellow maintainers. They were busy doing routine maintenance, installing some side logs and widening the foot path. Necessary work but nothing in comparison to what me and Jim had just accomplished. We regaled them with the tale of our newly constructed fire ring. They were impressed and equally upset that they were not there to partake in the grandeur. We explained just how easy it would be to roast marshmallows and make s'mores . . . . .

Everyone was in awe but there was still some work to do. We worked for another 45 minutes or so in quiet contemplation. Eventually it was time to hike out. So we all did. Back at the trail head there was nothing else to say except Good-bye. Everyone drove home.
　
　
　

on your visit to No Business Knob Shelter, don't forget the marshmallows . . . .

See you on the trail,
Tim aka mt squid