Date: 2013-05-18
From: Terrapin Station Hostel (mile marker 961.3)

To: Terrapin Station Hostel (south from Trico Tower)
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was a rough one. All 12 bunks in the hostel were filled, along with 2 men sleeping in the common room. There was no ventilation and a lot of snoring so it was a long night.This morning we'd intended to head north on the trail but Flip had the brilliant idea of staying at the hostel one more night and slackpacking for the day. This would give all of our bodies a chance to recuperate a bit from our high mileage days. Also, the weather forecast called for rain, so there was an appeal to not camping in nasty weather. Chino, if you're reading this, I know that I've headed down the slippery slope of slackpacking, but this is only the second time in almost 1,000 miles that I've done this and I have walked every mile of the trail so far. No yellow blazing!Mike's car can only hold 4, so as the slowest hiker in our group I went out with the first shuttle. He dropped me off at 10:30 up the trail and I hiked south back to the hostel. This is the second time I've hiked a section southbound and I had to be careful to head in the right direction. It can get confusing when you're programmed to go north, trust me.The trail today was pretty unremarkable, with no designated photo opportunities. Going south provides chances for catching up on trail news, since you generally pass other northbound hikers. 15 minutes in I stopped to chat with BB Cliff and Loogie, who I hadn't seen in awhile. I passed a number of day hikers. It was misty and foggy, and not a very interesting stretch of trail, but it was also a Saturday so I guess people wanted their exercise. I stopped at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter for a late lunch and visited with a section hiker. I'd heard this is a nice shelter and it was the best I've seen, with a deck and places to sit in the front and a covered picnic table area. No flat screen TV or jacuzzi, but not bad nonetheless...I was feeling very smug that for once in this hike I was in the lead. Granted, the other 4 were dropped off almost an hour later than I was, but I was still in the front. When I ran into Oz, Jacob, Waffles, and 180 after lunch, however, these hopes were dashed since I learned that Goat, Tommyhawk, and Starman had apparently blown by me while I was eating lunch. Oh well, I'm pretty secure with my last place position...Today reminded me how much I enjoy day hiking. Small pack, clean clothes going into it, and food and shower at the end of the day. I mean really, what was I thinking when I signed on for this long distance stuff?There was some Vitamin Water and snacks trail magic near a road crossing and then a 3 mile or so uphill climb in the final stretch before taking the half mile side trail back down to the hostel. I arrived at 5:30, and learned that the Tommyhawk, Goat, and Starman had gotten in an hour earlier. Flip took his time and arrived after me.Much better conditions at the hostel tonight, with only the five of us along with Dundee and Easy Does It. No town run, so we feasted on hostel food, including Mama Celeste's frozen pizzas, ice cream bars, and soda. We all grabbed bottom bunks, it's cooler, and no snorers, so I'm hopeful for a good night's sleep.My thoughts go out to those in Damascus, Virginia, who are there for Trail Days. We learned that an elderly driver of a car in the parade had a medical emergency that caused him to lose control and drive into a crowd. News reports are saying that 50+ people were injured. Very sad for the hiking community.Today's highlight: not carrying my full pack for a day. Very pleasant.