Date: 2006-05-10
From: Silar Bald Shelter

To: Cold Springs Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

Total miles today 12.6Trail Miles today 12.1Start at Silar Bald ShelterFinish at Cold Springs Shelter at AT mile 122.42400 ft of ups1900 ft of downs   Well I have been accused of being a "purist". In a nice and joking sort of way. This is a phrase used to describe those of an anal nature who are very conscious of making sure that they hike every foot of the trail. I didn¢t realize I was doing it but apparently the other hikers have been watching me and I always take the same route out of campsites as I came in on. Doing this means that you cover every foot of the trail where some others take the shortest route to the trail in the direction they're going. This morning I walked back 1/2 mile to where I left the trail rather than take a short cut. Everyone was teasing me (though the other thru hiker who stayed at the shelter did the same). I assured them that I could care less how anyone else counts their hike, but it did sort of look like I had "purist" tendencies. I imagine everyone who knows me is saying to themselves "yup, that is exactly what he is like". But it is just for my satisfaction. Anybody who hikes the whole way deserves to count themselves how they want. Unless maybe they take a 50 miles shortcut (where exactly is that again?).   Woke to rain this morning and had rain again at dusk. That makes 8 days out of 11 that have had rain. It is has also been about 10 degrees below normal temps. We had 38 degrees for a low a few nights ago and one day it did not reach 50. Heard from a guy who works for the power company who was at Wayah Bald that a big storm that will bring heavy rain and low teens is due in as early as tonight. Very windy right now. The wind has been whistling thru my mesh sided tent so bad that I rigged some line inside the tent and hung my rain suit on the up wind side to create an extra tent wall. Works pretty good. I tried washing my shirt last night and hanging it inside the tent to dry. That was a miserable failure as the humidity was way too high. Had to put on a wet shirt this morning. VERY invigorating when it is about 45 and windy. This is the only shirt I have with me as I use my rain jacket for my other top piece.   Sort of an uneventful day. The usual aches and pains (both feet, both knees), but nothing alarming. Only almost fell down twice. Have not actually completely crashed yet, but it¢s only a matter of time.    Yesterday there was a place where the trail crossed a stream and there were two logs across to walk on. One big one that was pretty high above the water and one only about 6 inches in diameter very low and just above the water. There was something about the big one that just didn't look right to me so I walked across the little one. The thru named Beth who I was hiking with used the big log without problem. But later we heard from the two hikers behind us that they both decided to use the big log. Well when the second one stepped on it it rolled and he only barely kept from taking a real bad fall onto the rocks in the stream below. He would have surely been hurt bad. Got to trust those instincts! Bed time story.Mamma Wyoming 1921 pt 1   Deep in the Wyoming winter at the Eddy homestead things were taking a turn for the worse as was often the case on these god forsaken plains.   It was January and the daily bone chilling wind was at its usual howl. The snow was mostly drifted and the ground was bare. The drifts were up to their usual wandering about as their existence was always bent to the will of the shifting and endless wind. The harder gusts would pick up the finer dirt and sometimes sand and throw it stinging in ones face. It became a habit to cock ones head in order to quarter the wind and ease its pain. But nothing could stop the wind enough to prevent the tears which left tracks in the dust that coated everyone¢s face.   Virginia, who was five at the time, was playing in the bunkhouse while her 8 year old brother was doing his daily time at the wood pile chopping wood for the cook stove and only heat in the little house. Mamma was sick and the kids had been shewed out of the house because they were making too much noise. To those unfamiliar with the lives of the plains farmer this might have seemed cruel, but children were expected to be able to handle the cold and indeed neither child thought anything off it. But that was soon to change.   Towards late afternoon Virginia's father came out on the porch and called to the children. As they approached the house he ordered them to stop. 'Your mother has the Typhoid' he said, 'you must not come back in. Virginia, you go in the bunkhouse and build a fire in the pot bellied stove while your brother gets food from the root cellar.   Now children you must listen well. Never come back to the house unless your mother or I come to get you. I will take care of her as best I can. But I am likely to sicken as well. If neither one of us has come to get you in two weeks you are to wait   for a break in the weather and walk to the Simon¢s place. They will take care of you.to be continuedWyoming.Which way is North?