Date: 2012-10-28
From: Wolf Laurel Top

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

AT day 5: Wolf Laural Top to Blue Mountain Shelter 14.5 mile. Well morning came and as far as I can tell, I was still atop the mountain. I managed to stay quite warm in my tent and sleeping bag. The temperature was definitely quite colder, but it didn't appear like anything had froze, so I assumed the temperature was above freezing! Deduced that I did... Packed up and headed out around 8:30 as I wanted to make up some distance today, inspite of the rain. Headed out without felt hat or gloves. Instead of a warm hat I put on my light weight ball cap and pulled the hood of my outer shell over it. Worked well. My hands I managed to keep warm by letting my shell sleeves hang over them. Once I'd worked up a bit of heat in my body by hiking they were ok anyway. I had also put the extentions on my North Face hiking shorts to make, yep you guessed it, hiking pants. It was raining only slightly, and one could imagine it was only the fog condensing on the canopy overhead and falling as the winds blew in. Just a few hundred feet up the trail I hiked by two tents that I assumed were the hikers with dogs. No one was stirring as I walked by. Sort of strange walking in the fog and rain. Not much to mention about the first section of the hike today. Pretty much just hiking in the rain hoping it doesn't get worse. Stopped at Low Gap shelter to get water and found a man dancing around trying to warm himself up. He'd claimed to have hiked from the north 7 miles in 2.5 hours in shorts. In shorts, because he thought he'd save time. Well, he almost put himself in hypothermia. He was warming water to eat, which gave me the idea to grab a bite quickly as well, which I did after filtering 3 liters of water. By the time I'd finished my lunch I could feel the cold setting into my legs. The hiking pants were water resistant, not water proof and were now damp and cold. I pulled out my new Frog Togs pants and pulled them over my hiking pants. The man at the shelter was thinking of staying there for the day even though it was only noon. I think his bad experience put a bit of fright into him. Within a few minutes and a few 'take care of yourself and have a safe hike', I was off to Blood Mountain Shelter. The next 5-6 miles were pretty easy and a big part of it was an old road bed of sorts. The ravine areas, in the turns, were built up with hand placed stone embankment with culvert pipes under the road. Instead stepping over a washout, the road continued evenly around the bends. So, easy goes it for the next few miles. Around 4 o'clock and what I think is 5 miles, the trail starts getting harder. Blue Mountain obviously gets its name from the blue tinted stones of all sizes all over the trail on the south side of the mountain. The last 2 miles proved very very hard for me on this first 14+ mile hike. Just lots of stone to step on and over. I was a bit worried toward the end of this hike as I wasn't sure I'd find the shelter before the sun set and was afraid the temp would drop and I'd freeze! So, instead of worrying about it, I tried to just focus on hiking. Suddenly, a voice spooked me from behind! I turned and to my surprise saw a small oriental man with a day pack saying something in broken english. What? Again, he spoke, this time, as he passed right by me, a bit more clearly something about 'excuse me, the weather, need to hurry!' And there he went right by me quick as that. I was stunned. What was that I thought. Out here in the middle of the mountains, on a crappy day like this a little oriental fellow in casual clothes and a college back pack put me to shame! It didn't take long before he was out of sight and I was doubting my sanity. I arrived at the shelter around 5:30 or 6:00 and as usual ate my dinner. Found a pair of wet gloves, brown cotton gloves that someone had attempted to dry on the table. Didn't think they'd do me much good being cotton and wet, so left them. No tent to set up because I was sleeping in the shelter tonight due to the weather. After eating and setting out my gear on the floor of the shelter, I was startled by a thur hiker coming in out of the weather. He'd hiked from Plumorchard Shelter (22 miles). Wow 22 miles is unthinkable for me. He was cold cold cold. His feet were wet, as was possibly the rest of him. I'd noticed the thru hikers weren't really prepared for this weather. Their moto was lightweight. and in that there's not much room for rain or snow gear. We spoke a bit as he ate his dinner and tried to warm. We had started in Maine in June, so was a late starter. He lived and had graduated from a college in PA. I don't remember the name. He was pretty much broke and didn't know just how he was going to get home when he reached Springer Mt. He had a miserable night in his bag. He even pulled out hand warmers and his emergency blanket. I however, had climbed into my bag with all my clothes, including rain gear. I was wet from sweat not from the rain. It was like a sauna in the bag until about 2 am when I woke and found most all of my clothes had dried out from my body heat. Thats was good because I wasn't too sure I'd wake instead an find myself frozen stiff in ice cubes! Texted a worried wife my location and condition. She texted back possible high temp of 25 and gusts of 40-50 mph tomorrow. First night in a shelter not bad. Swore I heard wolfes. Probably halucenating.