Date: 2012-04-26
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter - Tented

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: light rain

Day 32 - Thursday, April 26thHiking Days 25 / Nero Days 5 /  Zero Days 2Start Location: Hurricane Mountain Shelter - TentedMile Marker: 510.9Ending Location: Partnership Shelter Mile Marker: 530.6Time: 7h 0min + 1.5h for lunchMiles: 19.7Went to my tent around 8:00.  Up dated my journals then it started to rain about 9:00.  Not heavy at first just constant.  Made sure all was ready and went to bed.  The real storm came in around midnight.  Thunder, lightning the whole works.  The lightning, although it gave a spectacular display, wasn't really all that threatening.  It actually rocked my asleep.  I heard the next morning that the storm was bad.  Slept right through it.  I came up with this great idea to keep my sleeping-bag foot box dry in case I slid down off my groundsheet.  I took the force-flex bag from my pack and slipped it around the bottom of my bag.  Nice.  No worries.  Despite the storm, I remained dry through the night.  I took the plastic bag off and the entire area around it was wet.  What?  Then I realized that by putting the plastic bag over my sleeping bag I prevented it from breathing and the condensation built up.  Da.  I slept like a baby.  Alarm at 6:00.  Turned it off. Up with a bright morning at 7:00.  With the rain I had everything inside except my food that was hanging from the tree.  Not from bears but rather from field  mice.  Packed up.  Looked liked it was going to be a nice hiking day.  Out a bit later then I wanted but with a rainy night 7:30 was still respectable. The trails are reasonable if not for the muck from the rain.  I had my windshirt off in about 30 minutes.  In about an hour the rain started again.  It became so dark I couldn't make out the details on the ground.  Eventually put my rain jacket and poncho on. Glad I did.  It continued to rain the entire morning up untill I reached Trimpi Shelter.  Although  of great it certainly was dry.  I needed water and wanted to have something hot.  Also, I didn't want to go up the path back to the shelter this morning so I skipped the privy.  So a lot to do.  There was already a hiker here starting a fire in the fireplace.  It was nice but with a shortage of dry sticks around it was rather short lived. I know I am a bit dehydrated because my kidney  was really hurting early on.  I have also have low level headaches so I know what my boxy is telling me.  Got two liters at the spring and planned on drinking all of it.  I started with Ramen.  Then two packets of brownsugar and  cinnamon oatmeal with a two packet hot chocolate with a coffee I last.  Then a trip to the privy.  As it turns out, somehow I was at the shelter for an hour and a half.  That's insane.  I know it is. Shorter day at just under 20 but still this is unacceptable.  While hiking this morning I came up with a plan.  I decided to exchange miles for smiles.  I was thinking to push pass Partnership 11 more miles on to the interchange.  Instead, win the bad weather, the mucky trails and the bikers I'm with for now, a stop at Partnership with a pizza seemed to be in order.  I am also of looking into a stop at Woods Hole Hostel and then a Nero into Pearisberg.  Woods Hole is supposed to be one one the top hostels of the trail.  With the proximity to Pearisburg, I have always skipped it.  Since this is my last AT hike, I want to do some things I haven't done on the previous hikes.  With two hikes behind me that is actually harder then it sounds.  If there's space, I'll stop in a few days.  Even though I think it will add a day on this section.  But with a Nero into Pearisberg, I don't think I'll need to zero there.  Once back on the trail, the rain stayed away unt the very last 15 minutes.  At one road crossing I came across two coolers of trail magic.  With my recent food feet I really wasnt hungry but I had to check output anyway. Both were empty.  But when I hit the road a van pulled up.  Jerry and his wife indicated they were to resupply the coolers.  I was stuffed so I did not partake in it.  But I did stay a bit and talked with them.  They were very nice and pleasant to talk to.  As it turned out, Jerry stopped in the shelter to see if anyone wanted a ride to town.  As it turned out most of the hikers had already left for town and/or the hotel. Made the shelter just after four.  Much less full then I thought with it being a rainy day.  As it turns out, a big group went up to the interchange and hotel.  I'm glad ow hat I passed on moving forward.  So I order my pizza and soda.  Got it, ate it and now there is even time to update my journal.  Tomorrow I plan on hitting the interchange for lunch.  A place called the Barn has a pound hiker burger.  Plan on stopping there and resupplying at the Exxon convenient store.  I still need to figure out the details with the changes I made this morning.  Oh well.Now 7:30.  Time to brush my teeth and get ready for bed.  I'm in the upper deck of the shelter.  There is one guy here with his dog.  I think he is flopping here.  Even with the rain and the streams they call trails, today was a reasonable day.  But compared to yesterday,  any day will be a better day.