Date: 2004-04-26
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 10.2

I remember how excited I was before my hike about being able to eat whatever I wanted in huge quantities. How short lived that was! For pretty much everybody out here eating has become a chore, just like collecting water or using the privy, necessities but not enjoyable. I can eat 3 or 4 bites of everything but then the rest of it I have to choke down with waster. It is disgusting but I know I need the calories. How different this is from real life! Every meal I choke back I just think how bizarre it is that I¢m making myself eat. Do you think eating disorder specialists have a category for anti-anoxerics like me? I was very happy to see all those backpacking meals that people sent me. So far they¢ve been quite tasty and a break from what I usually eat.This morning when I woke up it appeared to have been raining during the night. Then just as I was leaving it started to rain again. I got really wet and started to get cold. There were shelters at 5, 10 and 22 today, so I knew I would do 10 for sure and then if the weather got nice camp at mile 17 or so. It was still raining and nasty out when I got to the shelter at 10 miles. So I got into my sleeping bag and have just lazed the afternoon away. I knew I didn¢t want to camp in the rain nor did I want to walk 22 miles in the rain, so this was the best option.Everyone has now left: the 3 Lost Boys, Mello, Deja Vous and it¢s a little bit lonely but perhaps the mice will keep me company tonight. With loneness comes solitude and I know this is something I wanted lots of when I started the hike but haven¢t found too often, so I shouldn¢t complain. I like being alone with my thoughts; it¢s amazing some of the things that can run through my head. I usually analyze every conversation I had the day before and then go into a daze for a while and then just think about whatever is in my head. Sometimes I sing a song for an entire day. Good times!So now I sit at the shelter listening to the radio, writing, eating and napping. Very enjoyable! The rain comes and goes ant the wind blows fog through the air. How spoiled we are on the AT to have shelters! I keep reminding myself of that when it rains, that at least I have a dry place to spend a day or a night. Except when you¢re in a cloud, then staying dry is harder. But not impossible. Since I¢m a little bored I¢ll do a little more gear review for you gear junkies out there. If you don¢t care then stop reading now!Pad: I used Deja Vous ultra light (the orange one) termarest last night and it is really small. Although it is light it is really impossible to go an hour try to keep all of your body parts on the pad.Socks: The best I¢ve found so far are 2 pair of $1.00 nylon dress socks from Wal-mart. My feet never get hot and you can wash these out at the end of the day because they dry super fast. Maybe in snow a pair of these with a pair of wool socks over them for warmth.Pack: The Go-lite Gust is sweet for loads under 25 pounds. 25-30 is uncomfortable and I have never tried over 30, but bet it would be downright torturous. For rain protection I¢ve been putting all my dry clothes, sleeping bag and valuables in my dry bag and taking my chances with the deluxe $o.o9 double garbage bag technology. It¢s been good so far but it is not recommended for people with the old-style packs because they¢d collect too much water and weigh 12 pounds instead of 7.Music: MP3 player/radio is a necessity for rainy days in a shelter and days when you think hiking is going to make you crazy. I have one that can record off the FM radio. I highly recommend this option so the same 60 or 100 songs you think you¢ll like on the trail when you¢re at home don¢t make you crazy. I¢ve probably deleted about 12 my songs and just add new ones as I hear then on the radio.Water Bottles: There¢s NO advantage to Nalgenes, so don¢t waste your money!!! 2 ¢ 750ml soda bottles have lasted my whole trip so far. Light, cheap, replaceable when they get moldy, what could be better?Gear Review finished for today. I can only stomach so much. The section hikers/weekenders love to talk gear but it makes the thru¢s crazy, 3 minutes a day is my limit. I honestly do not care why your 7 pound bag with compression straps, bear bells, see-through pouches, map holder and super suspension system is better than my pack. I just think you should do a little more research before you buy outdoor gear. I also do not care why you feel you NEED a GPS unit on the AT or why you brought your 40 degree bag as opposed to your 25 degree or why your super-duper $200 Loki anti-shock, ultra light poles are the best thing you¢ve ever bought.While I am in a ranting mood I¢ll just review a few things I¢ve seen in the registers in the past couple of days: 1- a girl carried 3 liters of water to a shelter with a known water source and then bragged about it in the register. Like you don¢t have enough to crap to carry without carrying 3 litters of water you don¢t plan to drink! 2- People always tell people to catch up to them because they are lonely. These are usually the mileage nazi types who do 20 miles everyday. Do they think I¢ll do a 40-mile day to catch them? How stupid! Take a day off and let people catch you. That makes sense to me but what do I know? 3- One guy¢s MSR whisperlite stove lost a screw or something a couple days back and now it doesn¢t work. (A good reason to use a pop-can stove) and he¢s been complaining about it in every register since. Cold oatmeal, cold ramen. Cold soup, Yada yada and on and on. The easy solution: suck it up and stop complaining. LIGHT A FIRE!! Probably doesn¢t want to get his pot dirty. I guess eating hot food cold is obviously a better plan than cooking on a fire. 4- some people complain about how big or how steep the climbs are. What did they expect? Last time I checked the Appalachians were a mountain range, not a flatland trail. Plus we all just hiked the same thing they did.Anyway I feel much better that I¢ve let it all out. I may sound bitter and I am 1% of the time and the other 99% I try to be positive. This entry just happens to represent the 1% not the 99%. I¢ve noticed people who do journals of some sort are often less negative when they talk to other people. I hope this is true in my case.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It Is¢¢¦