Date: 2006-04-15
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: few clouds

It rained on my tent last night. No whining here as the State is dry and can use a nice soaking. So, before I packed up my tent I took the time to wipe it down the best I could with one of those absorbent ¢car wash¢ cloths that I carry. It was probably worth it as I wrung out 2 gallons of water. (Just an estimate)ADD#36 is as follows (Attention Deficit Disorder¢¦I will not review the previous 35):As I was taking a half hour looking for two missing tent stakes Pebbles and Fat Camp said good bye and hiked out. I thought I must have stepped on them and drove them in the ground where I couldn¢t see the heads¢¦even though they¢re at least a half inch in diameter and have a 5 inch string attached. I swear I¢m not kidding, I actually thought they were still in the ground somewhere as I raked the leaves and soil with my boots and hiking poles over and over again. It wasn¢t until this evening when I unpacked the tent that I realized I had dropped them on top and rolled them up inside the tent. (My routine procedure is to immediately put the pins (stakes) in the stake bag so I don¢t leave any behind.)You guys think I¢m telling you this because it is humorous (which I guess is the only reason to share it with anyone) Now after reading the above and some of my other journals do you accept the fact that ADD is a legitimate mental disorder?I would estimate that the hike today was 80% climbing¢¦a gain in elevation of at least 4,400¢ during the seventeen miles between Cove Mountain and Thunder Hill. I don¢t remember what time I got in but I was tired. There were some nice springs along the way.When I stopped for a break at Cornelius Creek Shelter I had my first somewhat unpleasant experience of the hike. There was this senior hiker, dressed only in his shorts, talking with this middle aged lady out for her first backpacking experience. The first indication that he wasa jerk was when I dropped my pack and headed for the spring. He told me where I should draw my water. As I sat around eating some snacks, the lady was asking me questions about my water system, gear, etc and was taking notes. Just about every time I answered her, without fail, he would have some kind of comment, ¢See, I told you so¢ or he would go on to add his own expert opinion.While we were talking, she was eating tuna out of a foil pack and when she was through I noticed her throw it in the fire ring with lots of other wrappers.As I¢m walking out I say, ¢I¢d like to ask you not to throw your trash in the fire ring.¢ She stops and says something like, ¢Oh really¢ like she really didn¢t know what she was doing was wrong.The guy then chimes in, ¢I¢m gonna build a fire and burn it.¢I respond, ¢Foil doesn¢t burn.¢ (I should have just said, ¢you must respect PACK IT IN - PACK IT OUT.¢ For those of you who don¢t know this is the foremost rule on the AT and every trail I have ever hiked.He says, ¢Oh yes it does if it¢s hot enough.¢Instead of getting into an argument with this asshole, I just said good bye to the lady and took off.Fat Camp, Pebbles and a nice young man whose name I don¢t recall, where in the shelter while I was tented out back on the same spot I was at in ¢03.