Date: 2003-07-21
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Melville Naumein Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: haze

Today started out as a blah day. Even though there was no rain, the skies were overcast, making 8 in the morning feel like 8 at night. It was one of those days, where, if I were in a house, I'd say was a good day to watch movies and nap all day. But, my house is too small for that, so I packed it up and carried it north.Puff Puff, Snappy, Chickenfeet, Flanders and Bree left shortly before Hotdog and I did, and we played leapfrog with them for most of the day, until all but Bree stopped at Harmon Hill for the night. We passed two hikers who camped with us last night, and they caught us a the shelter when we stopped for lunch. Raven and Skittles are hiking the Long Trail, and today is their second day. They stopped at that shelter for the day, making sure they took it easy for the first few days. The AT has been much busier since joining the Long Trail, and it's more confusing than ever talking to other hikers. Last night, the group of girls in the shelter asked if we were thruhikers and I said 'yes'. One of them then said "Oh, so today is your first day on the trail!" That confused me, until I remembered I'd just entered Vermont and the Long Trail.It's cool meeting all of these new people though, headed north and south on both the AT and the LT. Some hikers, supposedly, believe whatever direction they are going is the 'right' way, but I think anyone and everyone out here is doing it right. I hope all I meet fulfill their goals on their hikes.Bree came to this shelter, and two SOBOs are here too: Suarte and Sweat. Camped nearby are two LT hikers: James Bong and Chris Spliff. We met them yesterday, their first on the trail. It poured about an hour after Bree, Hotdog and I arrived, making us glad we didn't tent. The rain has stopped now, and there is a nice breeze. It's 8:30, and I can hear thunder rumbling again. Aaahhhh... It's good to be in a shelter.I thought the steep drop into VT9 was going to be rough, as several southbound day- and week-hikes had told us it was a sheer rock, and they hoped we wouldn't have to go down it in the rain. It wasn't that bad, and the rock steps that the guide book said were there, actually were. And they weren't slanted downhill like many are. The knees were tired, but other than that, the descent was fine. The climb up the other side wasn't too bad either. Of course I worked hard, sweated, and got out of breath, but I recovered quick enough, and didn't mind it much.I met NOBOs Drew and Desmond at the shelter where we had lunch. They were just leaving it for the day after camping there last night. After introducing ourselves, I realized we'd met before, and after a minute of hard thought, I remembered where: Daleville, VA. They had hiked in and Hotdog and I had gotten a ride from Beverly when we stayed in Roanoke. It's neat to run into people I haven't seen in a long time. They went on this evening, toward the next shelter north.I like seeing and talking to other hikers. This morning, I was kindof in a funk, but by the afternoon, I was feeling much better and enjoying all the conversations. I still say that the people is what has made this experience, surprisingly, so much better than I thought it would be. I like sharing this with others, even if they are doing the same thing as me. The only thing that could make this better, would be to share it with someone close or special to me. I look forward to showing off pictures and telling stories from this hike to friends and family. Maybe that's selfish, but I'd like to share it.