Springer Mountain Fright Night!

Gasping for air, giving every ounce of energy he had to to fill his lungs!  Then silence…was it over, what should I do?  The silence was broken, this time the gasping had evolved into a deep rumble that took control over the cool thin air.  The rumble peaked then idled to a low wheezing, slowly making its way back to silence, abruptly he gasped again!  He was alive, but I must do something before its to late. 
I wasn't exactly sure where the noise was coming from, I tried to reposition so that I could get a precise location but I was stuck, my arms felt strapped to my side and my vision was blurry.  The blur slowly gave way to a empty darkness with a faint outline of a purples hue in the distance.  The darkness had a stench of musk, still slightly damp.  I tried to wipe away the sweat that threatened to hamper what vision I had regained but my hands were no use, my arms were still strapped to my side.  Numbness had taken over the function of my legs too, I was trapped!  

Springer Mountain Shelter, 3,733', is the first shelter headed NOBO on the AT

Whatever had gotten to him had me trapped, perhaps for later enjoyment.  I must break free, escape, nervously I contemplated the situation.  Sweat was building, there was no time to think, I must act.  Then silence again, was that his last attempt to save himself or was it some sick game being played on him, or were I being teased?  Almost instantly the rumble was back, this time I could tell it came from a different location, from a different source…it was another person!  Whatever sick morbid game that was being played was enough, I wanted out, I did not want to be a part of this, I did not want to contribute to the noise! 
The rumble continued, this time with the gasping making its way back into the noise pollution.  This erie noise compilation was too much for me, I had to do something and quickly.  With all the force I could find I freed my arms, wiped the sweat from my eyes, along with what blurriness was left and quickly I sat up.

The seasoned hardwood planked floor silenced the fall of my headlamp, how did that get here?  I reached for it in the darkness, identifiable by the reflection of the lens from the faint ambient light.  As I grabbed the light I instinctively turned it on, lying there beside me on the floor were my hiking boots, the metal loop reflecting the green lamp of my light.  I moved the light a little to the left, something else caught my attention.  Folded neatly beside them were my clothes, from my memory those were the last articles of clothing I remember wearing.  I immediately shined the light on my chest, I was wearing my tan long sleeve polymer shirt and my nike polymer shorts.  How did I get in these, who did this, why was I here, the noises…what about the noises?  Why were my arms trapped, what had caused my legs to become numb?  Nervous, on the verge of panic, I noticed something else familiar, it was my sleeping bag and I was in it!  Before my mind had the chance to go completely crazy, I reached for my water bottle to clear my raspy throat.  Sitting upright quenching my thirst it hit me…I was dreaming!  I was sound asleep on top of Springer Mountain, in the first of many shelter's on the Appalachian Trail.  Completely distraught on why I would have a nightmare on the trail, I raked my brain to understand what had caused this.  Was it a thriller flick I had watched during one of my sleepless nights back home? Sitting there, trying to remember what lead me to dream about being trapped in a remote log building while two people across from me were being tortured, the room irrupted again! Another loud gasp for breath echoed throughout the room!  Immediately following the loud gasp a rumble started, just like before, a different tone, a different location in the room.  I could not believe what was happening, I was not dreaming, this was real...

Scientist say that certain creatures can become synched with one another; fireflies in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can blink in unison to attract mates, schools of  thousands of fish in the ocean can turn exactly at the same time in the same direction to avoid being eaten by sharks.  I didn't need National Geographic to explain to me what was happening, I was witness to one of natures most simple yet complex acts…two brothers snoring in unison!  One with the worse case of sleep apnea I have ever witnessed and the other with a severe dose of asthma.  I could not believe this, I had fallen sound asleep with no problem, unfortunately it was interrupted by an olympic snore off! 

I took advantage of being awake and made a trip to the privy.  The night air was cool and pure, it was my first of a dozen nights to sleep on the trail and if this night was any inclination they would be quit eventful.  I made my way back to the shelter and crawled back into my sleeping bag.  Lying awake I humored myself by playing out what to say the next morning to the two Florida brothers, should I decide whom snored loudest or longest? As I snuggled in my bag they kicked back into synch again, this time their harmony was enough to put me back to sleep.  

Eager and excited the morning after "Fright Night"

Moments, minutes, or  was it hours later I heard a faint noise, not too alarming.  The faint noise became identifiable,  like the sound of soft footsteps, slowly becoming more and more defined.  The louder they got the closer they became.  Then it would stop, silence, then they would start again.  The steps came closer, now I could tell that what creature was causing this had sharp nails, or claws!  The footsteps evolved into a shuffle, the claws became more pronounced and started to pierce what solitude was left, my eternal alarm was becoming more aware now.  It was headed for me!  Whatever this was had by-passed the brothers, possibly headed my way to sink its claws in me, or had it already completed its ritual with the brothers?  Even closer, now I could tell the creature was off the floor, was it walking on the walls?  It was time to react...I must do something, I refuse to let this creature (or dream) take away what sleep I have left.  Thats it!  I finally came too, it was another dream, what was happening to me? If I keep these vivid dreams up I will never get any sleep.  Then I heard the noise, this time over my head, was I dreaming within a dream, no!  I was awake, I pinched myself to make sure.

Ah...low and behold; one of the local residents, a freeloader, a shelter squatter...a mouse!  Of mice and men, I think not. This local resident was scurrying across the top shelf of the shelter, looking for what remnants of food he could find.  Stories of hikers waking the next morning to find holes chewed in their packs are not uncommon.  There was even a thru-hiker once that carried a cat on his pack, the cat slept the day away and hunted all night, needless to say the cat later became a professional hunter.

My first night was eventful to say the least, much to my own imagination.  Sleep finally came and my body rested for the long day ahead.

"From the margin of these glorious forest the first general view of the Valley used to be gained-...a revelation in landscape affairs that enriches one's life forever."  As John Muir made his first visit to Yosemite Valley in the Spring of 1868 he wrote those words, his home was the wild as is mine.  The next morning I felt rejuvenated, fresh, and energized, but it was not from the sleep, it's because I was home.  The soul of my mind is free, not tainted from bitter community as this community (the trail) is sweet, yet unforgiving.  Its raw power is the marker for freedom as the white blazes are the marker for her path.  Let the trail guide you in the direction, and let your wild heart be home.