Date: 2006-05-31
From: Bailey Gap Shelter, VA

To: Laurel Creek Shelter, VA
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Day: 75Date: 5/31/06Start: Bailey Gap Shelter, VAWeather: sunny, slightly less hotFinish: Laurel Creek Shelter, VAMiles: 14.6Cumulative A.T. Miles: 659.6Branch: Today God reminded me of how much I love my husband. This morning, I left the shelter about 3-5 minutes before Clay, knowing that he'd catch up quickly. Wanting to hike with him, I stopped to wait on him, when he did not catch up in 7 minutes, I got worried. I was almost within view of the shelter, but could not see him coming. So, I walked back to see what was keeping him, but did not find him there. The people at the shelter said that he left just after I did. I got worried. There was a sort of trail intersection at the shelter, so I was not sure which way he could have gone. So, I decided to wait for him there. Each passing second felt like a minute as I worriedly waited. When I finally saw him coming north from south of the shelter, it was the most wonderful sight. I ran to him and hugged him.Since that fiasco, we have had the best day hiking together. We switched mp3 players and listened to lectures that we'd not heard before. Afterwards, we talked about the lectures. Before we knew it we were at the shelter for the night. The time had flew because I spent the day truly enjoying the company of my best friend.Clay: After Trail Days, most if not all of the hikers we have talked to have recognized how sleep deprived and malnourished they are. In addition to this, the heat this week has been a killer. No one that we know, except Veto, has been doing big miles (20+) lately given the 90+ degree heat. We have been getting up early, hiking 7-10 miles until noon or 1 PM, taking a long break to let the sun and heat pass, and hiking 5-10 more miles in the afternoon. Our water consumption has doubled if not more.We are going to be a little behind our schedule after this week. So, here are my excuses: We took a zero at Pearisburg, the odd spacing of shelters made us either do low mileage or big mileage, campsites in between the shelters have no water, we are wanting to hang out with our friends, the plague of bugs man the plague of bugs, the mid-day heat, and our having to wait on a USPS mail drop. Excuses, excuses... We will make up the time.Highlights of the day include, seeing a deer up close, going in the correct direction on the trail, hiking the last 6 difficult miles leisurely, and the timely trail magic at the mid-way through our climb from Super Dave (i.e. he left some Mountain Dews in a cooler by the side of the road).I listened to the Bahnsen-Stein debate today. It was refreshing. As best I could tell, neither fellow followed a flow sheet as debaters typically do. So, at times, the contenders were talking past each other. Gorden Stein, an atheist, holds that laws of logic (e.g. modus tollens, modus ponens, law of non-contradiction) are generally agreed upon but can change from culture to culture. To him, laws of logic are mind-dependent. The highlight of the debate for me was the second cross examination when Stein asked Bahnsen, "Do you believe God is immaterial?" Bahnsen replied in the affirmative. Stein, holding to materialism, then asked "What other entities are immaterial?" Bahnsen replied, "Laws of logic!" The crowd roared laughing.This week we have been hiking with and hanging out McEnzie, Mary, Sarah and her dog Toby, Beernut, Ronnie, Handlebar, Bigfoot and Goose. Tonight the whole crew is here. As the week has progressed, we have grown to know each other a little better.