Date: 2008-07-24
From: Waynesboro

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early. I only had to go to the post office and pack this morning. I went to the lobby for coffee and the little donuts. The sun was shining and I felt happy. I walked to the post office, mailed ahead my bounce box, and mailed home maps and stuff I didn¢t need anymore. Back in the motel room, after I packed my pack, I called for a ride back to Rockfish Gap. Waynesboro has a list of 25 trail angels to call for a ride. (Bill told me yesterday that he was going somewhere today.) I started at the top of the list and went down, dialing numbers until I got a real person on the line. I got David Munn. He came to the motel to get me and dropped me off back at Rockfish Gap. Easy. Free.It was windy and felt cool at Rockfish Gap. The temperature had lowered and it was a no-sweat day. It makes for an enjoyable hike. I filled out a tag at the self-registration kiosk that I have to have on my pack the whole time in the Shenandoah National Park. I saw a tiny pile of bear poop on the trail. It was fresh because it still had flies.Today was white butterfly day. I saw dozens. They were little and squatty with a black dot on their wings.Today was also purple flower day. I saw several different kinds of purple flowers. One was close to the ground and had a cluster of tiny purple flowers that pop out and leave little holes in the plant. Another one was tall with long, skinny, feathery petals. Another one had a spiky purple flower. Then I realized that there were two different plants that had spiky purple flowers. The plants had different stalks and leaves.After I passed McCormick Gap, I slowed down. I found a large bush of raspberries (still tart). There were these small trees with large dark red cone shaped flower clusters. There were acres of blackberry bushes. The sweetest berries are the ones that turn my fingers purple. I saw a rabbit sitting in the trail. I got pretty close before he dived into the bushes. When I reached Bear¢s Den Mountain, I counted 8 TV and/or cell phone towers. I took a picture of a single 4 inch round puffball on a plant. I have no idea what it is, but it looks interesting. I noticed for the second time that my pack felt heavier as the day progressed. Why is that? Near one of the towers, a deer was strolling on the gravel rocks. When she saw me, she took off like a cartoon character with legs spinning around. After I crossed Skyline Drive at Beagle Gap, I noticed a fifth purple flower. It was short and close to the ground in a meadow. The trail then went up, up at a steep angle.I arrived at the turn off for the shelter sooner than I expected. When I reached the shelter, I was delighted to find another woman here. Her name is Cherry Pie and she is going southbound. She showed me an alternate route for tomorrow that a ridgerunner told her about. The AT has no water before the next shelter and the alternate route has lots of water. As we were cooking and eating our dinners, we were joined by another hiker. It was the Silent Sam. Cherry was able to draw him out. He had gotten off the trail to get his pack fixed. He is tenting and we are in the shelter. Shenandoah has special bear bag poles at the shelters/huts. The one here has prongs that are too big to slip the drawstrings of a food bag over. Both Cherry and Silent Sam tried. Cherry bear bagged her food on a tree limb. Sam hung his bag on the prong that holds the lifter pole. I hung my food on a mouse hanger in the shelter.It is cool tonight, but I have my black sleeping bag liner with me for extra warmth.