Date: 2016-06-24
From: Trail angel's house

To: Eagle's Nest Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: clear sky

Lovely day. Mint and Peper showed up at the house at about 615 to join us for breakfast. Good food and good conversation with good people, then we went out so Mint could have a go on Breath Easy's epic swing.Back on the trail, I was feeling pretty sleepy despite the early trail magic we came upon. Sir, who thru hiked with his wife last year, had oranges and bananas and watermelon and chocolate milk and hot dogs and beer! I stuck with some fruit and some chocolate milk. Back on the trail (again), I had been planning to camp past the next shelter, before town. Then I decided I could go ahead and make it into town. Grub is in Port Clinton and last I talked to her she hadn't decided when she was headed out. I was calculating mileage and pace in my head, comparing with daylight hours, etc. then, I decided I didn't want to stress about all of that and I would just plan to make it into town tomorrow. That decide, and given my sleepy state, about 11 I put my hammock up along the side of the trail to relax. I ended up chilling and reading for almost an hour and a half before Yard Sale (a different one than he who I met at the 501 shelter a couple of days ago) released a startled cry shortly after passing me. I didn't hear that followed up by the thud of a falling body, so I ignored it. That was, until he hollered out, "Hey, has anyone told you about this big rattlesnake yet?" WHAT?!? I slipped my bare feet into my boots and tromped over to take a gander. Yep. A big, fat, rattling rattlesnake was on the side of the trail expressing its disapproval of our presence. Yard Sale kind of gave a nervous giggle when it wouldn't move, and he was worried he would have to jump over it. Eventually he was able to skirt around it. I decided it was time to pack up and get out of there while I knew where the snake was rather than waiting for it to hide itself in the ferns right along the edge of the trail. I actually wasn't sure it would still be in sight when I passed, but I thought it best to press on. Welp, when I stepped back on the trail there it was. Stretched out along the middle of the trail and kind of coming in my direction... I took a couple steps back. After a few minutes it slunk far enough into the bushes that I felt safe skirting around. It's tail was still out in the trail, but I had a pretty good bead on its head.As I set off again down the trail I mostly just wanted to chill and read, so I decide that not only would I not try to make it into town, but I was going to stop at the shelter to chill for the evening! A couple miles up the trail I took a bit of a break to continue enjoyed the day and reading for another half hour or so.Eventually I did make it to the shelter. I spent the evening going back and forth between being social at the shelter and chilling in my hang reading. I found a sign with a lookout marked, so I followed the trail back behind the shelter. It led to a little window break in the trees that gave a nice view of the mountains across the way. I'm settled nicely into my hammock and looking forward to a nice sleep.Here tonight we have One Feather, Torch, Data, Beefcake, Yard Sale, and a few others.