Date: 2010-05-05
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 60Its been a few days since I journaled, mostly because day 60 was miserable day of hiking and I didn't want to relive it again that night in the journal. I hiked from 7:30 am to almost 8pm and hated nearly every minute of it. Well there were some good parts but mostly it was just forcing myself to take one step after the other because quiting in the woods isn't an option. You need a road crossing to quit and even more so you need an actual vehicle to pass by for any chance to hitch back to the world. Without that ride you haven't really quit, your just on a break. If you have enough drive to hike down an empty road to a slightly less empty road, then you might as well hike to the next shelter. Which, after waiting for over an hour, I did. Enough of this, on to Hyway's No Good Rotten Miserable Day.Fog, lobsterman, and Groller Bear were all up and out by 7am. I was out at 7:30. It was a fairly easy first few miles but I noticed that the twinge I had picked up on my lower right shin a day or so ago when I slipped and twisted my ankle was twinging much earlier and more painful than yesterday. Then I got to the big climb of the day, 2300' over about 4 miles. The first 1/2 mile was pretty flat which meant the climb was really over less than 3 1/2 miles. It kicked my ass worse than anything since back in Georgia when every hill kicked my ass. My speed dropped down to around 1 1/4 MPH. Practically crawling. When I reached the bald about half way up I was almost too spent to enjoy it. Almost. You are never to spent to be in awe of a 270 mountain view. The only problem was that the views were mostly behind me. I had to stop and turn around to see them.Finally after passing two less than desirable water sources I summited and reached the first shelter at the 9 mile mark. Four walls and a door. I liked it. I should have stayed there, but 19 miles was the plan and the plan is to hike bigger miles and do less town stops. So after a short break to eat and read the shelter register I was on my way. I had seen an entry from Kashmir that was only 2 hours ahead of me. Kashmir tintin and Fredo had camped 7 miles north of me so I suspected they wouldn't only hike 12 miles today. So there was no need for me to try to catch them. I only had a little water left but I knew there was water in the gap about a mile away. After the gap, there was another pointless hill that climbed 6 or 700 feet only to drop down again. There was a clear trail that went around it but the asshole AT trail designers in their infinite wisdom decided a pointless up and down (PUD) would be more fun. It wasn't. That first big hill had wasted me and this one finished me off. I had nothing left but since you can't quit in the woods you have to keep on hiking. I was down to a mile per hour with my shin shooting pain with every step even through the 600 mg of vitamin I (ibuprofen). I was thinking of popping one of the emergency oxycontin I have with me, but I held off. Those are for real trouble in case i bresk something and become immobilized. I plan to wait for rescue in blissfull ignorance of any pain. But I digress.I spent the next 3 hours in debate with myself on why I am out here.   I don't like these big miles, but if I want to finish this year I need to do them. I was miserable and convinced myself I am wasting time out here when I am needed at home and that I didn't think I would regret my decision to leave the trail now because I was now sure that I don't really like backpacking. So at 4:30 when I reached VA623, a winding gravel mountain road that went from nowhere to nowhere, I decided I would yellow blaze to Bland, VA and get a motel room and decide my future there. And I wasn't planning to come back to that crossing if I did get back on the trail. Right after I got there a guy on a dirtbike came by and said I was better off hiking the 15 miles to Bland on the AT. It would be faster than waiting for a ride. I waited for over an hour anyway, but no cars passed. While I waited I received two phone calls. The first was from my sons eye doctor telling me his glasses were ready and the second was from my daughter who wanted me to tell my other daughter to get off our faster computer so she could do her homework. I wasn't sure what it meant to get two calls from home back to back when I never get phone calls from home. But since fate didn't send a car my way, once again I shouldered my bag and started the long hobble to the shelter 4 miles away. Another problem with this section of trail is that water is sparce. I was nearly out of water and the next source was 1/2 mile down a steep side trail. I don't walk that far off the trail for anything so I soldiered on. I was thirsty but refused to drink my last few ounces of water. Its weird to be thirsty and have no access to water. This is 'Merica, we shouldn't ever be thirsty. What the hell was I doing out here by my own choice without water. It was hot and sunny which means I was sweating a lot and not replacing it. More misery. Then I heard water under the very big rocks of a 'dry' wash. I found one spot where I could see it but it was difficult to reach. I went hundreds of feet down the boulder strewn wash trying to find a better spot, but no luck. I finally came back up and contorted my body and scrunched up my Gatorade bottle to fit into the tiny slit where the water was in the open. I got about 4 ounces before the position became to uncomfortsble. But it was enough with the few ounces I had left to get me moving again. I heard water flowing under the rocks a couple more times but didn't stop. There was a creek just under a mile before the shelter so I was just mindlessly making my way down the trail. I got my water and zombied on to the shelter.When I arrived I found Kashmir there. What a nice surprise. I asked him, "what happened? You take a nap here and decided to stay?" I wasn't surprised when he said yes. LOL. I told him I was quiting and he called me a liar. Which by that time I probably was. I still wasn't sure though. It was almost 8pm and I was too tired to boil water so I just talked BS for awhile then later ate some Oreo cookies, Snickers bar and some beef jerky. And then I went to bed, but not before squeezing in between lobsterman and Kashmir forcing Kashmir to sleep next to Groler Bear. Goodnight and sweetdreams to all of you out there not living the AT Nightmare Dream