Date: 2007-05-05
From: Matt's Creek Shelter

To: Punch Bowl Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up around noon to a cloudy and cool day. I was hoping that it would not rain. I did not get to hiking until around 3pm. I was hoping to hike deep into the night. I read the register at the shelter and had a note from Mo to me. It said: "Hey Zero, where were you, 'we were buddies, we were pals, we sang valder re valder ra, ha ha ha, etc'" This is a line from the movie ENVY where The J-Man(christopher walken) questions Ben Stiller's character about what was matter with him. It is an inside joke. Mo and I, have quite a few of these. When you spend day and night hiking with someone; you get some unusual and kind of strange "inside jokes". Anyway, before I could get going: "The Invisible Man & Grasshopper" showed up. I then got going and walked along the big James River. Spring was in full bloom here. I then crossed over the longest footbridge only bridge on the AT. I saw a few fisherman and thought about my days of fishing with my grandfather back in Tn as a boy. I then made a short climb to Johns Hollow Shelter. It started to rain as I approached the shelter. I noticed about 25 boy scouts when I approached. They scattered and allowed me to have the shelter. Soon, "Grasshopper, The Invisible Man, and Bowser" showed up. I hung out talking with the boyscouts and the thru-hikers, until a scoutmaster gave me an updated weather report from his phone. It said that it would be clearing through the night with periods of light rain. It soon quit raining and got going. Everyone was a little concerned that I was going to basically climb for the next 8 miles in the dark with a chance of rain. I told them that I had done it before and not to worry and that I had to catch that "pink blazing"(when a male hiker chases a female hiker) son of a gun, Mo. That is when Grasshopper kind of woke me up and said, "yeah, but your chasing a guy that is chasing a girl." I thought to myself, that he was right and I began an internal struggle trying to justify chasing Mo. I am a big proponent of "hiking your own hike". Anyway, I climbed to the top of Big Rocky Row w/o stopping. I drank some water and got my headlamp out. What a beautiful view from up here down into the lush green valleys with the setting sun. As it got fully dark; it started raining again. I found a rock enclave right before the climb up to Bluff Mtn. I stayed out of the rain and made a mac and cheese dinner, then got going. As I climbed up Bluff mtn, which is a long and sometimes steep climb, the rain got worse; it got cold; and so foggy that I could not see 2 feet in front of my face. It was all I could do to see a white blaze here and there; while using my feet to "feel" the trail for direction. It was pure hell. The wind began to blow hard as well. I thought to myself, "your readers are going to think that you are an idiot." I just seem to make my hike harder than it has to be, everday. The trail is already hard enough w/o making it harder. I am the same way in civilization, I thought. What is it about me that makes me want to make life so hard! Anyway, I finally found the sign to The Punchbowl Shelter. I thought I had missed it in the fog. I got to the shelter and was completly soaked and out of water. I just threw my clothes and pack down. Made as little noise as possible as therewere alot of hikers asleep in here and around the shelter and two dogs, which growled at me. I laid out my still flat Therma Rest that still had a few holes in it and had a fitful, cold night.