Date: 2009-05-02
From: Campsite past Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

Erik decided that he could hike with me for a couple of hours before turning back to the car, with a 4 hour drive home ahead of him. He was the first to wake up and come over to my hammock at 6 something in the morning, but I was not yet ready to get up. He returned to his tent and fell back asleep, leaving his rainfly open. Soon afterwards, rain began to fall, dampening his socks and backpack! He was surprised to see this when I woke him up a little after seven. We strung my tarp up to two trees to make a little shelter (the first time I had done this), I broke down my hammock, and we sat on my sleeping pad as we cooked and ate breakfast, complete with hot chocolate. It felt like a very leisurely morning. Erik said he could hike for a couple of hours before he would have to turn around. We followed the same ground that we did over Thanksgiving, and I remembered the details of that hike well (here is the turn we almost missed, here is where I stopped for a power bar break and took a picture this way and that way, here is where we met the man with the dog, here is where we met the southbound thruhiker...). We hiked through the woods, over barren Stone Mountain in the wind and fog, down to the Scales, and up to Pine Mountain by 10:30, where Erik would turn around. Neither one of us saw the 500 mile markers made out of stones and acorns (from what the section hikers at Wise shelter had said, I thought they were located near Old Orchard shelter...). Saying goodbye was sad. It's easy for me to hike alone, but to transition from a period of time with a partner (as short as it was) to being all alone again was not so easy.   I found Spoons, Patch, and Hailey dog at Old Orchard shelter, which was nice. It started to rain, just as it had when we were there in November. They prepared to take off while I snacked and read the registry. I caught up to them at Fox Creek where they were signing in at the registry, crossed VA 603, and started up Hurricane Mtn, which was longer than I had remembered! The rain abated and I stopped at a place where the trail widened to remove my rain layers, as I had become hot from climbing. I saw many groups of people traveling south that day- some happy, and some not.   As I wrapped around the switchbacks leading down towards the shelter, I felt very nostalgic about returning there. Hurricane shelter is a really nice, new, and secluded shelter, and although the starving winter mice were out in droves the night we stayed there, I have sentimental feelings towards this shelter. The rain started again as soon as I got in, and I sat under the roof on the picnic table to lunch and read the registry. Many of the entries talked about the excitement of going to Jerry's for lunch. Since I had already been there, and since I had eaten town food each of the past three hiking days (unheard of and gluttonous, really), I was not going to go there again. However, when Spoons and Patch started reading the entries, causing their stomachs to growl and their spirits to rise with anticipation and excitement, I told them I would go with them if they went! Spoons discovered she had a bar or two of reception at the shelter, so upon my advice, she called Jerry and arranged a ride in 2 hours time. We had 5 miles to cover. No problem. I told them I would go ahead, as I like to stop and take pictures. I soon came to a wooden sign, paralleling the trail with road names on it. "okay- doesn't really apply to me," I thought, and kept moving. I reached the bottom of the hill, crossed the gravel road, and couldn't find the trail! I looked and looked and saw no white blaze. I hoped Spoons and Patch would arrive so they could help me, although it was embarassing that I could not find the trail. There was no sign of them, however. I went down a muddy path and tried to read the sign on the other side of the large stream (a stream which had no rocks or logs to help cross!). I knew it was not right, so I trudged back up and crossed the road back to the sign from where I had come from. I read it again: "AT. .5".   This time, I grasped its true meaning. I had gone half a mile off the AT! I hurried back up the hill as fast as I could, realizing that Spoons and Patch were now far ahead of me! -more than a mile ahead of me! Now, it was going to take a monumental effort to get to the road by 4:30 for the shuttle to the restaurant. I knew Spoons and Patch thought I was ahead of them. I told them I would wait for them. If I wasn't there, they would think I was so rude for ditching them and going on without even leaving a note! I jogged everwhere the trail would allow me (even a fast 4 miles did not allow much opportunity to make up a mile of hiking time). So much for the leisurely pace and photo opportunities!   I ended up arriving 5 minutes before the shuttle arrived and no one was mad! I enjoyed the catfish special with baked apples, a roll, and cornbread, and then had some apple cobbler a la mode for dessert. There was a church hostel behind the restaurant that we were encouraged to stay at, but I had planned to reach Trimpi shelter that day (and did not plan on partaking in another town meal!) I resisted the pull of stopping and staying with my fellow hikers and asked Jerry if he was still giving rides back to the trailhead. He was short on help and had not intended on taking us back, but capitulated, and Spoons and Patch followed my lead! We fought our inertia! It was nice to have the company of hiking companions for a couple of miles. At the first possible campsite, Spoons and Patch moved aside to set up camp. I wanted to give them some privacy as well as move closer to my goal, so I moved on. A few minutes before 8, I made it to Trimpi shelter! There were several familiar faces there. As I looked around for trees to hang my hammock on, I heard the zipper of a tent opening, so I stood there, waiting to see who would emerge. It was Lonesome Roads and we both laughed.P.S. Can I get extra credit for all of these extra miles I am doing? Patch says that by the time I get to Katahdin, I'll have walked 4000 miles!