Date: 2015-04-19
From: Standing Bear Hostel 

To: Roaring Forks Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up way before the alarm clock, wide awake and at 5:00 had everything already packed. I checked the weather and saw that rain was in the forecast so I took off my pants and shirt and packed them in my backpack and only wore my rainsuit with my underpants and socks on under it. I have a thin, lightweight suit so this keeps me cool when raining and my clothes dry for the shelter. I can regulate the temperature by rolling up the sleeves and undoing the zipper under my arms to keep me cool or warm. It was overcast and uphill, but a steady, not steep uphill for most of the way so I made the 15 miles in about 7.5 hours. As I got going up Snowbird Mountain and Bald where the FAA tower looks like a UFO had landed. The bald is slowly being overgrown with waist high brush and if it continues, I guess that it won't be a bald in the future. I stopped briefly at the Groundhog Creek shelter for a quick breather, and then began the ascent to the Max Patch Bald. I saw the plaque dedicated to a hiker - Honza (Trailname - Journey 1982-2011) on the ground before the bald. I had just missed the trail magic at Max Patch and the bald was totally covered in cloud so I didn't get a view. There were however white crosses on the ground as aerial markers that I got a photo of along the way. There was a place after the patch where the AT came to a T where it was confusing as to which direction the trail went. I pulled out my phone and opened Guthooks AT app and was reassured that I had picked the right direction. I didn't want to push it although I still felt like I had some energy so I called it a day around 2:00 and got settled in at the Roaring Springs Shelter. I saw 3 plaques. The top one said that this new shelter was built by CMC volunteers in 2005, replacing the former. The plaque below stating that the former shelter had been built in 1989 and another said that the shelter had been donated by the "Mountain Marching Mammas" There were several hikers there but they had just stopped for lunch and were soon gone. The ground in front of the shelter was a small but steep slope and several of us slipped and a couple fell trying to navigate our way to the shelter on the muddy ground. I ate my 2 packages of Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, and a package of candied pecans which turned out to be delicious. It was awesome, smelled great and very filling. I got water from a stream right on the trail before the shelter and got everything cleaned up. Other hikers arrived and soon it started raining and we moved the picnic table under the shelter porch to keep it dry. Soon the shelter filled up and I sat around and talked for awhile. I was exhausted so I laid down for awhile to rest and take a nap. Upon waking up I walked to the privy where I met a very curious juvenile squirrel who was eyeballing the shelter and a young rabbit in the field before the privy who didn't run when I walked by about 20' away. It started and I said in a calm voice that I didn't want to eat it and as I talked, it seemed to relax and go back to eating, keeping a wary eye on me. I'd of taken a picture but it was dusk and my camera wouldn't have caught it. I laid down again at 8 and was soon asleep.