Date: 2011-04-15
From: campsite

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Maine boys, backflip and patches and trailmix. decided it would be a good idea to hike 8 miles in the dark. THey packe up their already set up tents, and marched into the night. I was all into goint with, when I realized I was probably going to feel rushed at their speedy pace. Scavenger and cops were the only others that stayed. Scavenger is German, and cops is college age, in a group with trail mix. They were planning to get up at 4 in the morning to catch up, and wanted to know if they should wake me up. i told them no, and ended up getting up at 3 form being antzy, and hiked alone in the dark. The moon was vanishing, I followed my trusty headlamp. The climb I was so worried about wasn't so bad, but I hiked 4 hours, to get to the shelter 8 miles away. Got lost a bunch even got turned around by accident, thinking it was a switch back and headed exactly the way I had come from. There was a feild where I had an amazing veiw of the stars. Some places I'd find the stick witht he white blaze, but have no idea where the trail went. So I'd guess start walking if it didn't seem right I'd come back and try again. In the woods I got creeped out by noises. What realling gave me the hebby jebbies was when I saw a pair of close set eyes staring at me. I was getting closer and closer and the thing wouldn't flinch, I went "Boo" and then saw it was a deer and two others, with three more sets of eyes behind them. I would of taken a picture, if I had not been so frightened. That was the first deer I'd seen on the AT. I later saw a whole gang of eyes staring at me again, I figured they were deers, they were too far away to see. I was expecting pancakes when I got to the shelter, but all the boys were asleep. I picked up a powerbar a couple mountains back, that helped quench the hungar, I was thinking of moving on, I knew I had a big day, but then I went over to the guys, and aske dfor the stuff to make pancakes. THe pancakes were a total fail, aweful. First the mix was just bad, second we had no butter, or oil, third, we had only spoons to flip the pan cakes so they ended up being scambled. Soon I hurried on, I planned on taking a nap at the next shelter, 18 miles befroe lunch, but the place soon filled up. It had no water, and I had seen deer as I headed in. I got my sleeping pad out and and bag and layed down a bit. THen once it filled up, they were talking a bout a thunderstorm comming in and I was worried about the shelter filling up. The was a southbounder, who gave us some news and stories, he had stared in PA jan 1st. He had snow to go through. I had 10 more miles to go, half way through, I was like "you idiot, you are killing yourself, why did you leave?" it was up and down, and up and down, over and over ma on rocks, on a ridge line with wind blowing, and my feet hurt. I was dead tried. I knew the shelter was a fter a long downhill, and over and over I was like this is it, but there was always another hill. Finally the trail headed down the side of the mountain. I was feeling unhappy, and starved of rest. When I heard somthing running, it was a bear!!!! running away, I didn't evenhave time to take it's picture. Right befire the shelter I saw two more deers. Thats like 20 deer I saw in one day! I was so happy, I went form so unhappy to happy, so quick. I told the guys, "I saw a bear!!!!" jummping up and down. made them all jealous. I got the last spot in the shelter 9 people in an 8 person shelter. I got the post spot, but I was out of the rain. and I rained, too bad, trailmix, cop, and sacavenger had to camp. I was sanwiched between two old guys, on a section hike, "now if I snore just punch me, thats what my wife does"