Date: 2007-03-16
To: Shake Down Day 1
Miles today: 0.0

So I had trouble getting up the nerve to leave the hotel and start walking. I packed and repacked my bag several times. Reevaluated my choices. Changed what clothing/how much clothing I was taking. Went back through my pack again. Filled up my water bottles and secured them to my pack in a different way. Debated about whether to bug the hotel clerk to take a picture of me all set to go. Okay, finally decided to just go do this thing. Shouldered my pack and walked out of the room. Oops. It's raining. A constant rain. Not just a little drizzle. Back into the room. Change clothes. Repack pack. Put pack cover on. Fiddle with pack. Okay, NOW I'm really leaving to do this thing. Remember? I like hiking! I really should go now. Okay... off to the front desk to turn in my key. I did get the guy to take one of those rosy cheek first day of the new school year forced smile facing into the sun, so you can't really see me pictures. Asked the clerk where the AT was from the hotel. She didn't know. She said they used to carry a little map several years ago, but I should try the info center at the bottom of the hill. No problem. Down the hill I go (driving my car - yes, I felt ridiculous, but I didn't want to wander with my pack for 2 hours trying to find the place). Visitor's center says it'll be open at 9am. I'm here on a Friday after 9am. Hmmm... no sign of life inside. And no handy info pamphlet in the little box on the wall. Bummer. Okay, good thing I've got the car. I drive around a bit near the hotel because the info I brought with me makes it look like I should be on top of the trail. Well, by golly I am! Right there is the closed Skyline Drive which is the AT for a little ways round these parts. Back up to the hotel I go so I can repark my car where it's going to stay for the next 10 days. From The Inn at Afton's parking lot, I walk to the back and then down the hill. There's the trail. If it was any closer it'd be on the AT. I'm now officially on my shakedown hike. Yippee! It's raining and I'm not at work and I've got everything I'll need for the next 4 days in my pack and I'm happy. The backcountry permit kiosk is right smack on the trail, so I fill it out in a hurry while the rain soaks the pages of the permit and I wonder how the rangers will ever read the soggy paper. I put down my destinations as the various shelters, but I intend to do legal stealth camping about 11 miles apart each night. If that happens to be a shelter, cool. If not, then I'll use my tent. Just as cool. I notice the drop in temperature when my fingers really start speaking to me. They're cold, pink, icy, and wet. I notice then that the rain is no longer rain. Now it's got a little kick to it and it's coating the branches. My decision to try fleece gloves ($1 at WalMart) inside surgical gloves (can't beat the weight) looks like a bad decision. The surgical gloves were left over from all those anthrax scares immediately post-September 11th. Our office was issued gloves for the purpose of opening our mail. No one ever used them and they sat in a box. I thought it would be clever (why does that always get me into trouble?) to combine the two. I should have tested the latex. Since my hands are clearly wet, the latex is clearly no longer working. Oops. I find a nice large rock and I cook up a hot lunch while mostly protected by it's bulk. I look at my map before packing everything away and decide to forget about mileage and just hike until I feel like stopping for the night. I snack on a breakfast bar now and then, drink a bit of water (not as much as I should) and keep moving to stay warm. I reach the blue blaze to the Calf Mountain shelter and spring. This is where my permit says I'm camping tonight. I'm really not ready to stop for the day, so I take a picture of the sign and keep moving. South of Turk Gap I start noticing my trek poles dragging a bit more often than usual. I decide it's time to find a spot to tent. After crossing the Turk Gap parking lot, I begin looking for spots only to see a big "no camping" sign. I continue on the trail until I'm out of the forbidden zone and then move back into the woods. I find a nice little area and I'm able to clear the dusting of snow so my tent goes down onto a fluffy mattress of old leaves. Perfect. It's only 4pm or so but I'm cold and tired. I plan to take a nap and then I'll fix a hot dinner, hang my food bag, and journal for a bit before going to sleep.