Date: 2007-12-21
From: Walnut Mtn. Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: overcast clouds

mi. 22.3sleep hosteldest. Standing Bear Farm Hostel day 161 Last night was freakin crazy. the shelter is facing the windward side of the shelter. The wind was strong enough to push all the weights off the bottem. We had a bunch of decent rocks on it. I woke up after an hour of sleep to the tarp flapping in the wind and blowing almost over my face. I got up and fixed the tarp. I woke up again later to the same thing. I laid there for awhile and luckily Oblivious got up and fixed the tarp. I was lazy and not wanting to fix it. Today the plan was decent miles to the next hostel. The hiking was really great. It reminded me of up north. Mainly because of the woods and the mositure in the air. Great stuff. I got to the shelter 5 miles in to find a great shelter built just a couple years ago. I definitly should have pushed on. It was way lower and a lot more protected. It would have been a lot warmer. I looked thru the register and saw the Firework signed in saying he said he stayed at the same shelter we did last night. He said he woke up to the wind and rain coming straight in. He woke up to his dow bag being soaked. He was planning to stay at the hostel and dry out his bag. I was looking throught the register and saw Dixicritter and SGT Rock signed in there. I met them at Trail Days and know them from the online circles. Pretty cool to see someone I know signing in. Today I hiked over Max Patch. It is a famous bald on the AT. But it was completly socked in. It was crazy cold with the wind. Today is also the winter solstice. I was planning on celebrating it the way the summer solstice is, but it was way too cold for it. I was the last one to the hostel. I got there right around 5pm. Right about my normal hiking pace. The hostel is pretty cool. Just .1 off the trail. The owner to is pretty cool. He was telling us tons of stories from other hikers. He said that during northbounder season it is a 90 day party. His hostel is close enough to the start that there is still a huge number of northbounders. He said about 1000 stop every year. Another great thing about being a southbounder is that he offered to drive us into a convenice store. Not something he can do for every hiker during peak season. I ended up picking up diner and enough snacks to get to Gattenburg. Somehow I still managed to spend over $30. We sat up forever tonight BS'ing with the hostel owner and the 4 of us. The bunk house is heated by a wood stove. I love those and fireplaces. I need to get one where I end up. We ended up doing laundrty too. That might end up being the ladst time of the trail, depending on how things line up. It seems crazy to be thinking about the hike coming to an end. With over 230 miles left to go. Back at the beginning that would be close to a month. Now it is only a couple weeks. After the smokies it will be under 10 days left. It was funny back in Erwin to tell someone over the phone that I was almost done with over 300 miles to hike. But what can I say I'm lovin every part of it. If I had the money I would keep hiking south until I hit some warm weather.