Date: 2010-05-23
From: VA652

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

 Rained a little last night. Slept comfortably in my bag. Pack weight is ridiculous now. Too much food. Hiked up a field with large black cows. Nice swimming pond nearby with a diving pier. Wish I would have known. Next time! Feeling gloomy with the haze, humidity, and intermittent rain showers lately. Foot feeling cramped and wet. Break at Fullhardt Shelter to dry things out. Told Michigan, Cricket, and Boo Boo that they're great hikers. Cricket is from Georgia. Western Georgia. He's engaging to talk to. Told us of his travels in Italy and Amsterdam. He's a financing major. Conservation ideals, liberal and totally committed to hiking the trail. Michigan is a smooth talking city kid with quick wit and tenacity to finish the trail. Michigan asked me, "How long do you want to hike with us?" I replied, "As long as we can!" They laughed and said, "We'll hang out with you Skippy, even if you are an old man!" They're 23 years old. Took another break at Wilson Creek Shelter to finish drying off. Conan and Backwards came up and we met for the first time on the trail since Trail Days. Met Tree. Really nice kid. Very friendly and outgoing. Thunder off in the distance so I pack with one eye towards the clouds. The wind picks up right before the water starts falling from buckets in the air. We pitch the tarp just in time for it to completely stop raining. The sun comes out and we're sitting in the shade. My shoe is shrinking. I notice that it hurts my foot most when it's drying out after they're wet. My pinkey toe feels blistered. When I take off my shoe, my little toe looks pregnant. Pregnant like call the doctor my water's broke and it's the 9 1/2 month. Popping the blister rocked! Needle and Fire. Squeezed orange colored liquid from the site and bandaged it up. Boo Boo let me wear his crocs. I like them! My boots feel like two boasts on my back as they dangle from my pack. So heavy! 3 1/2 lbs of fun! Started carrying them in my hands. There were tourists at Taylor's Overlook and Montvale overlook and the BRPW. Boo Boo begged for a Dr. Pepper. Yogi = begging for food from tourists. Seeker and her military attired Brother stopped in a car to ask where the AT crosses the BRPW further ahead. She gets an answer and we hear her say ans they drove off, "Technically, we're hiking the AT." We laughed at this comment. Met Tree again at Harvey's Knob overlook. Seeker and her Bro were sitting in the median eating town food. We snarl. I've been thinking of Lish's quote all day, "To undermine a man's self-respect is a sin." -St. Exupery. Trying really hard to think better of people. It's so easy to focus on the behavior of the minority. Sometimes u don't notice the unquestionable devotion to this trail that we all share. Everyone is a great person in some way. Public opinion might suggest differently but somewhere deep down, everyone is capable of incredible goodness. Their potential for greatness should outweigh your feelings toward them. Tree and I were lured to the shelter for water. Greywolf, the whiskey swilling guitar picking hillbilly here with the straight edge 4AM boys with an attitude. The 4 AM boys start shining if people make noise past 7 PM. Greywolf serenades us while we eat and make dinner. Seeker's visiting Bro (I'll call him Major Dad)tells Greywolf to stop playing guitar. I had liked him. His ability to remember the lyrics was horrible, but so are mine. Lots of people eying shelter spots because of potential thunderstorms. Tensions high. Negative vibe present. Jim from Maine storms off and packs his bags to leave the shelter. String Cheese making rude comments about people. They think it's bedtime and it's not even dark outside yet. They want quiet by 7 PM. Me, I get Creepy's guitar and play a couple of songs with Greywolf as he stumbles through lyrics he doesn't quite know. Lots of late night eaters with headlamps. Pissing off the passive-aggressive early birds. I was in my bag in the shelter when Tree came to lay down. String Cheese snidely remarks about his lack of a red light. Bad vibe in the hood tonight. No lack of sleep here, though. Nice and dry. Laughing at Major Day trying to hand a bear bag. he actually told Thin Mint (thru-hiker) how to pitch her tent. She left out the fact that we got here from Georgia. he's trying to be nice, though. I notice it and oblige his attempt. It doesn't change the fact that he sticks out, though. He's too organized. My Dad would be a little like him out here. Sometimes you just got to loosen up and act like a bum. You wipe your ass with leaves so there's no use in trying to seem civilized.