Date: 2008-04-28
From: Calf Mnt. Shelter

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: moderate rain

We woke up at 6:30a this morning and I was trying my best to pack up without waking everyone else up, but as usual, this never seems to work out! Well, by 7:40a, we were on the trail and ready for whatever weather this overcast sky would bring. When we left, it was pretty foggy because it was had rained all night and rain was immenant. When we reached the first road crossing, Toddy Bear and I had to stop and make some yellow snow. Shepherd, who was a bit behind us, was gonna pass us at this point, but we noticed him snickering...I guess he's not used to seeing a team that hikes together and uses the bathroom at the same time!! He waited for us and then did something he normally doesn't do...Shepherd remained with us through out the day. As previously mentioned, most hikers don't hike in "groups." Even though we're all still hiking "Solo," we maintain gang mentality and stick together through out the day. Nothing really spectacular occurred today, due to the rain, but we did see 6 deer. These little guys let us get really close before they took off! Also, we got our only good view atop Loft Mnt. The rain had subsided long enough for us to get a valley view!! Oh! We're gonna meet back up with Stovie today. We're thinking about changing his name to Uncle Pickle!!! One good thing about today is that we got the chance to know Shepherd a bit better. I learned his "Christian Name," as opposed to just his Trail Name, and that he is a nurse in the ER in Indiana. Also, he got his Trail Name while shepherding a wounded hiker to a shelter early on in his journey, because he carries a croax-type walking stick, and he's religious with a biblical name!!! Oh! Shepherd is a really fast hiker...I thought we were quick, he and Strides must be cut from the same mold!! By 5:05p, we rolled into Pinefield Hut and were greeted by Stovie. SET Couple and South Sides were at the picnic table also. I gave Stovie a hug because I'd missed him during these last two weeks and was glad that he would be with me before I have to end my hike! THE DOCTOR, Stovie's wife, gave him some clip-on hand sanitizers for us and some homemade beef Jerky. Not eating beef, Stovie gave me his McDonald's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Also, Stovie's dad walked him down to the shelter to see how hikers lived. Well, he was shocked at the Privy and amazed that we sleep in the shelters!!! Mr. Stovall, it takes some getting used to!!! It's good to have Stovie back though!While talking with South Sides, I realized that he and I are pretty similar in our gear choices: we both have Granite Gear Packs, we both carry Big Agnes Seedhouse Tents, we both use the Montrail Torre GTX boots, and he's about to start using a z-lite ground pad! Also, Shepherd told me how to make a Heineken Pot. I've always wondered how to do this and now I finally know...thanks Shepherd! Appearantly, all of the Wayside Grills are now open everyday. We, however, skipped the first one because we were told that they were only open on the weekends. Oh Well! We still have two more chances to get those highly talked about Blackberry shakes!!! The trail through this section isn't bad at all. Even though we hiked 26.2 miles today and gained elevation, it wasn't hard. The only hard part was doing it with wet gear...Night!