Date: 2004-06-10
From: Pass Mtn Hut

To: Gravel Spring Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Time10AM - Elk Wallow WaysideMy time sense now is different from what it was before my break. I don't spend all day rushing to get to my destination for the day like I did when I was heading for Springer. But I still have trouble making the time to write in my journal. But now the problem is external rather than internal. Specifically, I am so busy socializing after I come in to camp that there never seems to be time to work on my journal. Even on a day like today when I got in at 2, the entire group I have been traveling with was already there or arrived within an hour, so it has been like a 6 hour party. As a sample, the after dinner conversation was a hilarious interchange about choosing and packing toilet paper. This morning I decided to take a hint from my journaling mentor, Jan Liteshoe, and do most of my journaling in the middle of the day. So I stopped at Elk Wallow wayside, intending to eat both breakfast and lunch, and write in my journal in between. But by the time my breakfast was ready, the first of the rest of our 'traveling group' had arrived, and by the time I had finished lunch there were still 3 group members there, so I actually only got about 3 sentences writen during that time.So today I will mostly be playing catch-up.First, while I was home in NH a week ago I visited my old work place and was able to see many of my old friends there. Some I wasn't able to touch base with, particularly Swishy Chrissy, even after trying twice. SC - hope you had a good vacation, and don't work to hard.A couple of days ago I mentioned that the Skyline Drive has most of the scenic overlooks in the SNP. Yesterday I came upon one for the AT alone, with a 240* sweep from Stony Man Mountain, one of the highest points in the park, all the way around to a view of Skyline Drive from above.I also came upon a place that may have been the site of my first memory of the AT - a jumble of rocks in a wide slide across the Trail. I remember walking across such a place on the AT in SNP with my Dad when I was about 10 years old. That same rock slide was also where I encountered my first rattlesnake, probably why I remember the spot so well.Speaking of snakes, I saw a 6' black snake on the Trail yesterday and a 1' king snake near the shelter. Someone else saw a rattler. I also saw a rabbit yesterday, they have very short ears here in the park, and a box turtle this morning.Here with me tonight are Stretch, Boonie, Megabite, Gaiter Women (whose name I didn't know in my last entry), Palm Tree, Mouse, Rex and Fire Marshall, whom I have all mentioned before. Also here are Webber and Han who joined us late last evening. There are plans for a big evening in Front Royal, since we will all be there early enough tomorrow to have all our town chores done (like laundry and groceries) by dinnertime.Today I met Tortoise on the Trail. He is doing what he called a 'Cool Breeze' Flip-Flop hike. It is southbound in three sections. He started at Kent, CT in late April and will walk about 750 mi to Daleville, VA, arriving about July 1. After a two week break he will start from Katahdin (a wise chice because the black flies will be abating then) and walk about 725 mi to Kent. Finally, he will jump back to Daleville and walk the remaining 700 mi through the southern Fall to Springer. We shared with each other the common experience of travelling southbound, meeting lots of northbounders but not many people going our way.Only 5 more hiking hours to spot a bear in SNP.