Date: 2008-06-15
From: South of Sky Meadows State Park, VA

To: Bears Den Hostel, Bluemont, VA
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 5:45am and I was in no hurry to get moving. It was still lightly drizzling after last night's heavy rain and thunder.The thought of getting into my smelly wet hiking clothes didn't appeal to me at all. :-)I ate 4 pecan rolls and a donut for breakfast and drank some water.I sat up and looked around inside my tent. Everything stayed pretty dry, but my down sleeping bag has a lightweight shell and it sucked up a bunch of the moisture out of the air overnight. My soaking wet shirt that I laid down last night was still soaking wet....same for my shorts.The only dry clothes I had were my spare socks....and they felt sooooo good. :-)I finally got up the nerve to put that soaking wet shirt on. It always feels so nasty going on, but that never lasts long. My body warms it up quickly and it feels all peachy after that. :-)I stuck my soaking wet shorts on next...and once my body warmed them up I was feeling pretty good. :-)That's always a problem sticking wet nasty clothes on after you've been in a dry sleeping bag all night, but it's more of a mental thing because it's always okay once I do it.I packed up everything and bounced as much water off my tent as I could before I got out.It was like a dripping wet jungle with all the lush overgrown vegetation around and everything was still dripping water.I rolled up my heavy wet tent and was on my way at 7:15am walking north on the Appalachian Trail.It wouldn't have mattered if I had dry clothes this morning because this section of trail is overgrown and I was pushing through wet vegetation, so I would have been soaked in seconds anyway.I walked through Sky Meadows State Park, then descended to Ashby Gap. I made the climb out of there and passed by the sidetrail to Myron Glazer Cabin without stopping.I passed a group of wet boy scouts who were leaving the woods early. I have a feeling that their dad's wanted to get home....and get dry. :-)I passed by the sidetrail to Rod Hollow Shelter without stopping. I wasn't too far from there when I heard a large branch fall about 150 feet to my right.I entered the "Roller Coaster"....a section of trail that goes out of its way to hit the top of every hill in the area, then go right back down before climbing to the top of the next one. There are about 10 hills that make up the Roller Coaster.I've never really minded it, but today was a little harder than normal. We had the heavy rains last night and the sun was strong today. It has pulled lots of moisture into the air and made it much harder to breathe....and my clothes looked like I had just got out of a swimming pool....dripping wet. (but I wasn't refreshed like if I had been in a swimming pool)I crossed a gravel road and saw on my map there was a spring in about a mile, so I finished drinking the water I had left.I got to the spring and sat down and drank about a liter and filled up my water bottle.I walked on and a limb broke and fell just 15 feet from where I was at on the trail. It cracked and fell so fast that I'm not sure I could have gotten out of the way if I was under it.I kept walking up and down the hills...eventually getting to Sam Moore Shelter. I did go to that shelter and sat down and ate my lunch.I wanted to sign the register, but it was full. :-(I only had three miles left to Bears Den Hostel, but it wasn't an easy three miles....once again because of all the humidity. I climbed several more hills and was glad to see the sidetrail to Bears Den.I hadn't seen Hopeful and Redwing since I was at Blackburn Center about 1 1/2 years ago.They were just running out the door when I got there because Hopeful was in labor. I asked Redwing if he remembered seeing me then and he didn't. Hopeful did, but she said she was just a little too busy to stop and talk. :-)It's hard to believe now because Lydia is 1 1/2 years old and walking and talking. Boy oh boy, time sure does fly by!I did my laundry and took a much needed shower.Hopeful had some guests that left some grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. She brought me down two hotdogs, a hamburger, baked beans and a bunch of watermelon! Umm, umm! I had three brownies too. :-)Hiker Dave showed up and really needed some food. I guess he walked all day and only had an egg for breakfast. I watched him down three Dr Peppers real quick!I'm going to send this entry in now even though the day isn't quite over. I signed up for a pizza and a pint of Ben and Jerry¢s Ice cream and Hopeful said she made a salad.Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)