Date: 2008-04-27
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: moderate rain

First of all, one main issue for harmony in a shelter full of strangers is courtesy. "Courtesy" does not mean leaving your cell phone on so that your message waiting tone beeps every 15 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG and then saying it the morning "I thought it might be mine but I was too tired to check". HELLO! Wanderer incurred the ill feelings of everyone else in the shelter due to his lack of common consideration. ALL NIGHT LONG (oh did I already say that?) Anyway, my "sleep like a rock" tendencies allowed me to only hear about 40% of the beeps, but others were not as lucky. I got up at 6AM and Groucho was already gone. I ran into him down the trail and he had left at 4AM. His "vibe-o-meter" was going off and he wanted to move on from some of that group (cell phone being a case-in-point). I got going by 7:30 feeling great again. It started raining at 10:30 or so, and it was a cold rain, becoming fairly heavy quickly. With the right gear, any kind of weather is good though. MY rain skirt (that's right folks, and rain SKIRT) works quite well, allows good leg movement and not a sweaty heat trap like rain pants. The Precip jacket isn't really totally waterproof, but does hold the body heat, and the gaiters covered the boots and socks. I was hiking along quite happily in the rain. Stopped at one point to wring about 1/3 cup of water out of each sock, but otherwise was warm and felt comfy. Got to Cable Gap shelter at 3:00 and briefly debated about going all the way to Fontana Dam. But, when I pulled off my boots and checked my feet the white, pruney, immersion-foot look of them made me decide to stay and let them dry out rather than create torn skin problems when the footsies have been good partners so far on this trip.   I found out that Wylers lemonade powder and a pocket shot mixed together(thanks DPI pals) makes a nice drink on a rainy afternoon at the shelter. Waters and Frumpy showed up too, followed by Day Hiker and Sherpa Dan.Here's the last note which anyone who knows my story of "The rescue of the red-shouldered hawk on the Withlacoochee River while kayaing in 1998" will appreciate. So, I'm hiking along in the rain and I see this beautiful little newt, a bright, fiery orange-red in color. It was a fantastic little creature, and not at all inclined to scurry away. I pulled out my camera, despite the rain, and took a couple photos. Then, I thought "you beautiful little creature, if you aren't going to move, some less observant hiker might step on you". So I carefully picked it up, and moved it off to the side of the trail, and hiked on, feeling quite happy. I mentioned the little guy/gal to Waters and Frumpy whose first response was "That's a red-spotted newt, you didn't touch it did you?" Ummmm.....yeah....why? Apparently it produces a toxic exudate on it's skin that can make you quite ill if you were to say touch it , and then eat something with the same fingers. Hmmmm....what is nature's warning color....seems I recall something about bright orange and red!!!???? DUH! I hadn't eaten anything with that hand, and haven't confirmed the toxic exudate thing (rumor/myth/truth?), but still, a reminder to THINK! That's a good reminder always in life.   Really enjoyed the company of this group as well. Waters and Frumpy are also vegetarians-on-hiatus for this hike.