Date: 2008-05-08
From: Uncle Tom 

To: Chestnut Knob shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Rain is slamming down on the metal roof of this old stone shelter. One of the trail maintainers we met near Partnership highly recommended this shelter for its views, so we were looking forward to seeing it. We did not expect to have high winds and driving rain commence shortly after our arrival. Let me tell you, people, this shelter is the bee's knees. It is a complete building, four sides and a DOOR! It has plexiglass windows on THREE sides. It has BUNKS!    So, here's the story. Last night turned out quite well, what with finding a good campsite located right near the creek, and near Gucci and Barefoot, who are lovely company. I tucked in around dark, and slept particularly well.    Toward morning it began raining softly, and the sound of it falling on my tent, enhanced the pleasure of diving back into sleep after surfacing briefly.Around 6:30 I felt ready to get up, so fetched my food bag that was hanging from a hemlock uphill from the campsite. Then it was a little like playing house.    I fixed cereal and got dressed, stuffed the sleeping bag and other items, and was ready to take down the tent, when the rain started up again. In another half hour it stopped, so out I went with my little tent wipe, and dried off the tent. Otherwise known as fake chamois, this little scrid of fluff, 6"X10", is essential equipment for the foul weather camper. I wrung out a good pint of water, thus saving myself an extra pound of pack weight.      Off we went at 8:30, and the hike itself was several series of steep inclines, followed by another series of moderate inclines. For 9 miles. I was digging down deep toward the end there.    At seven miles, we needed to seek out a spring that was purported to be behind a pond at about 4000'.   V8 wandered about briefly and found the path, so down we went to fill our platys. I filled a two litre and a one litre, and drank about a pint right there. Long ago someone had piped a spring and boxed it in, so although it was overgrown and insignificant in appearance, the water was clear and delicious.   Then back we went to pack these big bags of water onto the backpacks. Hmmhh. A supplementary 5#. And two more uphill miles to go.   Around 2:30 we reached the top of Chestnut Knob, about to burst into a round of the Hallelujah chorus. There sat the dear little stone hut. And out came the sun. I threw down my pack, dug out my fog dampened sleeping bag, and hung it from the nearest tree. I added my wool hiking shirt, my tent, and the back pad of my pack itself. Within half an hour, all was dry.    V8 and I talked about moving on to a campsite 5 miles further, when extremely dark clouds began to assemble on the horizon. Leaping Turtle came strolling up the trail, and within minutes, the rain began.    Leaping Turtle has a reputation for generosity, and culinary generosity in particular. Soon after he arrived, he invited us to share his stash of hard boiled eggs. This was a major treat, unexpected, and extra welcome after our relatively tough day. We sat at the wooden table and peeled our bounty, salted and peppered, and added a little mayo. Divine.   Mike, from Connecticut, who has so far avoided a trail name, later came in, and during a real torrent, Yazzie burst in the door.   There is now an enormously silly three way repartee going on at the picnic table. V8 is reading and laughing on her bunk. I am finishing my Pocketmail, enjoying the silly antics, and about to turn in. A card game is about to commence, and I feel like a sleepy kid drifting off to the voices of family members still awake.Marcia JamrogAuntie Mame