Date: 2010-05-06
From: Dalton

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: light rain

I got up extra early this morning as I was very concerned about not having a headlamp. I left the motel by 5:30 AM. Yep, that's right folks, that early. Funny thing is that I don't get up early unless I am hiking but this was very early even for me when hiking. Strolling Astronomer, a hiker staying at the Shamrock yesterday, said the weather report was for a nice day today. But when I walked out of town I saw a very thick cloud cover. In a couple hours it was raining and it rained for most of the morning. I again got a lot of use from my trusty umbrella enabling me to hike up the hill in sports bra and stay dry too. It was a nice morning even though a gentle rain was falling. The morning went fairly uneventfully except for a couple animal sightings. First I saw deer. Then an hour or so later I saw ?. I was looking through trees and bushes and I saw a couple smallish critters moving through the brush and thought "bear cubs." "Where is mama?" Then, in the direction the shapes were moving I saw at least 2 larger, lighter colored shapes, just not clear enough for a positive ID. None of these shapes moved like deer. I think it likely now that they were not bear (too many present at one time.) But I have seen quite a bit of moose poop so I am voting for a family of moose. Interesting. I also met one overnight hiker coming down the mountain. The flower of the day was trillium, both painted and red. There was also more poison ivy. It is easiest to identify and avoid poison ivy in the early spring when it is just leafing out with very reddish leaves. Now the leaves are green and they seem intent to disguise themselves to look like another shrub of the forest which is innocuous. It is also taller and not as easy to avoid but I think I did so. I made good time and walked through the little town of Cheshire. At a little hardware store I bought a $2.00 keychain squeeze flashlight. Just enough to get me through the last night and be able to have a little light when needed in the night. The older lady in the store even paid part of my tax. She was very sweet. You get to meet a lot of very nice people when you go on a long distance hike. I also went by the convenience store before heading back on the trail and bought a couple hot dogs for lunch. They were very tasty - another food I never eat unless hiking. I sat on some grass behind some mailboxes and watched the traffic go by while eating. I headed up the hill for the last 5 miles and a mile or so later my knee started hurting. I know it needed more rest after that long slackpack day. I was just on it for too long and it needed a zero day to recover, which it did not get. I kept having to sit and rest the knee and it became more and more difficult to find a pain free position even when resting. I finally (pain-wise) reached the shelter. I actually had made good time and had plenty of time to bathe, filter water and eat dinner. But the knee was hurting all the time now. I am now ready for bed tucked into the shelter hearing the wind howl down the draw. I am mostly protected from the wind in the shelter though. Tomorrow is 5 miles less than today. I hope the knee makes it OK after a night's rest. Hiker Steve, Goin' Home, is going to give me a ride to West Point. I will be at Sara's by tomorrow night. Come on knee, hang in there for just one more day and life will be good.