On Thursday, June 12, Sugar Dog drove in from Los Angeles and made the transition with Cave Dog to The Dog Pound (Base Camp) where they were treated to a meal of grilled trout, caught right from the Base Camp pond.  They picked up Lady Dog and Ed Dog, who flew in from Eugene, OR.  Sea Dog was also expected to fly in that evening from Maine, but he waited for two hours on the LaGuardia runway and missed his flight from Charlotte to Asheville.  As a result, he was forced to seek out accommodations other than a cozy corner of the Charlotte airport, and arrived in Asheville on Friday morning.  Friday, The Dog Team tackled Cave Dog's van, which contained all of his worldly and less than worldly possessions, which had accumulated since he left Oregon for Tennessee for the Barkley Marathons in March.  Grocery shopping and other errands were run, maps were assembled, and The Dog Team members from near and far were hunted down and contacted by Lady Dog.  The Dog Team that was at The Dog Pound met up with Love Dog and DEW Dog for dinner in downtown Asheville with Danny Bernstein, who was writing an article about Cave Dog and his challenge.  Cave Dog then stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, printing out maps and outlining the course for the South Beyond Insanity Ultramarathon to be distributed to The Dog Team the next day. 

On Saturday morning, Lady Dog met up with DEW Dog to photocopy the forty page packet of maps of the course that Cave Dog had assembled the night before.  In the meantime, The Dog Team members assembled at The Dog Pound for an organizational meeting.  They took a marathon three hours just to go over such a complex assemblage of maps.  They then sat down for a meal that was deemed a picnic instead of a barbecue, as it did not meet the standards of North Carolina barbecue.  However, the local Dog Team members were indulgent and partook in the good food and friends despite the nonSouthern definition of "barbecue".  Soon after the meal broke up, Houn' Dog left to drop off Sea and Good Dogs at their first trailhead, Cosby Campground in the Smokies.  From that trailhead, they walked three of the nine miles they needed to reach Cave Dog the following day.  This hike gained 4,000 feet over nine miles, so they were glad to get a good portion of the ascent completed before the next morning.  Luckily, Good Dog and Sea Dog set up their tent just in time to avoid a major downpour.  Cave, Sugar, and Lady Dogs reviewed maps one last time before Cave and Sugar Dogs took off for the Clingman's Dome parking area.  Rad Dog flew in late that evening from Coos Bay, Oregon, and, in the middle of the night, drove out to Clingman's Dome for Cave Dog's start at 5:45 am.

Weather:  Partly Sunny

Cave Dog gingerly made his way back down the trail, as he had mentioned to Jack Horan that the hardest part of the entire challenge is often the walk back to the parking lot after the clock has stopped because the competitive drive is gone.  Surprisingly though, as difficult as this final hike to Carver Gap was, it was by far the easiest postrace hike Cave Dog had ever encountered.  The Dog Team gathered in the parking lot, bleary eyed and yet exhilarated.  Cave Dog had pizza to eat, had his feet attended to and discussed, and he answered some questions for Jack Horan's article for The Charlotte Observer.  He even started talking about his next challenge, The Long Trail in Vermont.  The Dog Team got in their cars and headed home, though many Dog Team members were exhausted.  Iron Dog and Ski Dog even pulled off to the side of the road to sleep a bit before heading back to Base Camp.  Cave Dog does not remember this drive to The Dog Pound.

As soon as the challenge was over, the sun shined brilliantly and sparkled with clarity unknown to The Dog Team during the challenge.  The sun would remain beautiful for the entire next week.

That afternoon, The Dog Pound was quiet, as The Dog Team tried to catch up on sleep, everyone but Rad Dog that is.  He ran around town looking for gifts for Dog Team members.  Iron Dog used her artistic talents to help him select a gift for Bone and Lap Dogs' help with Base Camp.  Cave Dog started the long process of collecting and updating website Bios and emails.  He and Sugar Dog continued to work to finalize this Daily Log.

That evening, Houn' Dog and Mary Lasher invited The Dog Team over for a real barbecue; however, it was made clear that it was a South Carolina barbecue, not a North Carolina barbecue.  As they ate voraciously, The Dog Team did not seem to mind that the barbecue was not truly a North Carolina version.  They were treated to a special presentation of a certificate and patch by Houn' Dog, as a member of the Carolina Mountain Club, for completing the South Beyond 6,000 peaks.  Cave Dog then spoke wholeheartedly and earnestly thanking each member of The Dog Team for their individual contributions.  It was a wonderful closure to an amazing experience that can never be repeated, but will always remain in the hearts and memories of every Dog Team member who participated in the South Beyond Insanity Ultramarathon.

The next day, The Dog Team organized and cleaned gear, worked on the website, and generally debriefed from the adventure.  Cave Dog worked on healing his fifteen blisters.  Good and Lady Dogs spent a beautiful afternoon atop Mt. Mitchell.  Rad, Ski, and Iron Dogs went to a nice swimming hole and falls near Looking Glass Rock.  It was nice for the support crew to have a day to appreciate the magnificent beauty of the area that could not be seen in the fog of the challenge.  The day was wrapped up by The Dog Team going out about the town listening to a live bluegrass band until the wee hours of the night.  That night Rad Dog finally got his first solid sleep since before the challenge started.  He would later report that he was able to sleep most of the way back to Coos Bay, Oregon.

It is unusual for Cave Dog's feet to swell after a challenge, but they did for the next three days.  In fact most of his pain was gone in the course of the next three days.  His blisters either turned into gnarly calluses or peeled away in that time.  At the same time, he gained the use of his toes again.  All joint pains during the challenge were fleeting and nonexistent after the challenge.  As is usual, his thermoregulation, sleep patterns, and general energy level all reached some sort of normalcy after about a week and a half.

Sunday morning started the onslaught of drives to the airport and by Monday morning Cave Dog was alone once more.

It was a privilege for The Dog Team to have such an incredible adventure in such a wonderful location as the top of the Appalachian Mountains.

Weather:  Sunny