Date: 2015-05-22
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I decided to take a zero at Partnership Shelter so I could go to town and resupply. First I ate breakfast of oatmeal and Sour Patch Kids again and coffee before putting my pack together. It ended up turning out to be quite a crazy day. Some people from the day before had zeroed like myself at the shelter, while through the day more hikers poured into the area deciding to stay as well. Soon there were beer (I counted 4 cases) and pizza runs. I took the shuttle from the Pat Jennings Sr. Visiting center of the Mount Rodgers Natural recreational Area to town for resupply and to charge my phone. I shopped at a Walmart for supplies and ate at a Sub Shop with great sandwiches right in the same strip mall as Wal-Mart. While I ate I charged my phone and relaxed. I brought 2 Little Caesars hot and ready pizzas to eat and share along with a 6 pack of Angry Orchard - Hopping Mad cider to the shelter for dinner and to share. When I had started to walk to the Little Caesar's early wanting to be ready when the shuttle came, it was already outside the pizza place, almost an hour early and I caught him just as he was about to drive off! I asked if I could run in for pizza real quickly and he said that he would wait while I did. We then drove around and picked up some of the other hikers, while we couldn't find some, probably because we were too early! When asked about this the shuttle only said that the times were approximate and could vary greatly. That's pretty poor service if you ask me. I found out that alcohol was prohibited later in the day (as someone had covered the sign) after I was done. But people kept bringing in the alcohol from Beer to stronger spirits and along with "Safety Meetings" so some people were getting drunk and high. I had a feeling that it was getting out of control with Redbeard (from the Roan Mountain Shelter who did flip and was a nobo thru-hiker now along with his "Scottish Clan") and told the female hiker that had brought 2 cases of beer that they shouldn't have their alcohol in such a conspicuous place, as while the park didn't prohibit alcohol they might frown upon such a large amount, and she put a pack cover over them, just in case. After awhile a park ranger actually came and grabbed every hiker holding an alcoholic beverage. He took their id's and gave them a $75.00 ticket and made them pour out all of the beer out in the open. The ranger said that he'd be back and then left, (not to be seen again that night). Things quieted down for an hour or so and then cranked up to a higher level until about 1:00 a.m. The Scottish clan could be heard pledging new initiates with their Scottish/Pirate accents until they moved away from the shelter area after being yelled at by other hikers for the noise. I did get to see some people who I hadn't seen in awhile but was wanting to get to sleep. Finally my clothes were dried on the clothesline by the privy in the field, and I got everything ready for the morning as I wanted to put a lot of distance between myself and this party crowd the next day so I tried to get as much sleep as possible under the circumstances to outdistance this bubble.