Date: 2007-05-16
From: Iron Mountain Shelter, TN

To: Abingdon Shelter, TN
Miles today: 15.9

Got a great nite's sleep. It was 57 when I woke up, and we were hiking by 7:52a.m.Today, despite the fact I had every reason to be in a bad mood (you'll see whylater), was an ok day. The hiking was the "easiest" we've had since thebeginning. I noticed 2 section hikers yesterday, but hadn't talked to them till thismorning. They are from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we used to live before moving toMichigan! His name was Okie, and he thru'd in 2002, and her name was Jitterbug,and this is her first backpacking trip. Okie made the comment that I wasprobably carrying a heavy load compared to Jitterbug. She disclosed she wasonly carrying 18 lbs!! (He had all the rest of the gear LOL). I picked up herpack and was like WHOA! Then I let her pick up mine, which is probably around28lbs now with 1 day food, and she could barely lift it. LOL It was adorable,this guy was giving her a commentary on everything, and you could tell he was soexcited to be back out here. You could tell his hike changed his life.I did tons of stretching today, and I was extremely careful with how I hiked. Islowed my pace way down so I could more gently place my feet on each step. Ifyou hike fast, it's usually harder on the feet, knees, and joints because it'slike you're pounding your feet. As soon as my foot starting feeling a littleachy, I stopped, sat down, did some stretches. It seemed to work really well,because I hiked my biggest day yet, and I managed to keep the pain to a minuteamount. Granted, the terrain was pretty flat, but hiking 15.9 miles is a prettygood distance for me. My longest day yet!On one of my breaks, C-Shots mom stopped and asked how I was doing. His parentsare really cool people. She gave me her phone # and told me when we get toWaynesboro, VA, to call and she'd pick us up, put us up, feed us lasagna, andwine, and make us soak in the hot tub! How cool is that? Her other son RamblinOn thru-hiked last year.After I passed a highway, the trail led thru this beautiful grassland of rollinghills. First time to hike in something like this. Really beautiful. Then itwent back into the woods.In the meantime, dark clouds were building up, and I knew there was rain in theforecast. I kept going and planned to stop at Double Springs Shelter for lunch,where I figured Persistent would be. Because I've had to slow waaaaaay down,due to my foot, she's flying now compared to me.Of course, it started raining, but I got to the shelter @ noon. We ate lunchwith Quick Toez and a few others, and we both wondered if it was going to pour. Up to now, it had just been light sprinkling.Before we left, I told Persistent that she didn't need to stop and wait for meto catch up, because I'm going so much slower now. She said she gets worried,but I pointed out how many people were behind us, and that if anything happened,I'd send word thru someone and call her cell phone too. I think that made herfeel better. After we left for lunch, I never saw her again till I got to ourplanned destination. LOLSo I'm hiking along and I hear a crack. I stop and this HUGE tree branch felloff from the top of a tree! Cool to see, but I was glad it was way off thetrail too.It was raining on and off for most of the day, and then around 4:00 p.m., theskies totally opened up. Torrental downpour, wind, man was it raining. I wasof course a few miles from the shelter, so I just kept plodding (and splashingalong). Parts of the trail were ankle deep in water. I was not wearing my rainpants, but did wear my jacket. The cool water actually felt kind of good on my feet, which were completelysoaked of course.So about the time I am ascending McQueens Knob, it starts raining the hardestever! It's blowing rain too, and I actually stopped and took a picture. By thistime, I thought I heard a rumble of thunder, and was like, "great, it waits tillI"m on the highest point of the day to start lightening." It only rumbled oncethough.I finally got down to the gap and still had 1.1 miles to go. By this time, I'mpretty cold and soaked to the bone. I finally got to the shelter @ 5:17 p.m.,and it was hilarious. A ton of people all lined up inside their sleeping bagsand another row sitting on the edge, including He-Man (formerly Josh, and Sarais now She-Ra), Persistent, and Fuzzy Monkey.Persistent had been there an hour, and she was waiting to set up her tent inhopes the rain would stop. I told her I'd be happy to set up my tarp and lether set her tent up under it, then she could carry her tent where ever shewanted to camp. She got a big smile on her face. (Now who's glad they'rehiking with a hanger! LOL)While she did that, I went down to the water source (which was like .5 milesdown) and tried to get water. The rain runoff made everything totally muddy, somy dinner was made with some pretty gritty water tonight.LOLFinally, I hang my hammock, and am really lookig forward to getting warm in mybag. I change clothes, get out my bag to find that part of it got wet!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! My stupid trash compactor liner (inside my pack) got a smallhole in the bottom, so it leaked!! Seriously, it has been a hell of a day. Also, one of my bottles of Aqua Mira got a hole, and I'm assumig it's the onecontaining the chlorine, because it ate a hole through one of the hip beltpockets on my pack! I discovered that today as well. Geez!!I'm laying in my hammock with all my clothes on, hand\toe warmers and stillshivering. I just can't get warm. Good news is that we'll be in town tomorrow nite. I called and got us areservation @ the Super 8, which is a good thing, because I have to get my bagdry. Fuzzy Monkey is going to stay with us for 3 nites. The motel is inAbingdon, which is about 15 min. from Damascus, VIRGINIA, so we'll have to hitchthere. Did ya catch that? We enter our 4th state tomorrow!! I'm excited.This weekend is Trail Days in Damascus, which is a huge festival\partycelebrating the AT. tons and tons of people (current, former, futurethru-hikers and all those who support the community) will be there, as well asvendors and gear people. I think I'll be getting a dry bag for my sleeping bagnow. LOLIt is only sprinkling on and off now. I think the worst of it is over. We'vegot about 10 miles into Damascus tomorrow, and we've decided to get up 30minutes earlier now. Pretty eager to get to town, get dried out and get FOOD!! It is 51 degrees @ 8:54 p.m. Well, here's the rain again. I hope I can getwarm eventually.~Certain