Date: 2011-05-28
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Jennings Creek
Miles today: 16.9

Thunderstorms continued into the night then stopped around midnight. We ended getting one more rain storm early in the morning wetting down the tents just in time to pack them up. Oh well, that's life on the AT. A journey like this is never supposed to be easy. Like all worthwhile goals, one must be willing endure the hardships. Those that fear stepping out, who cannot seem to take risks, never achieve much. They simply live quiet lives of desperation moving from one uninspiring activity to another. Take chances! Don't let past failures rob you of a wonderful goal! I loved Dawn for 32 years only to see her suffer with cancer and pass away. Do I not get into another relationship because I fear a similar fate? Absolutely not! There can be much joy in a new relationship so I am willing to pursue one even though there is still some pain from losing her. I guess I feel better now that I got that off my chest. I cooked breakfast, packed up and took off down the trail with "Half Man". Many of you reading this are wondering how does a lady get such a trail name? The story is that she was discussing with another guy whether men and women share common traits. He thought they had nothing in common while she stated that men and women did. She even said that she felt that she had so many things in common that she was half man. Thus, she was so named. It's really funny to see the reaction on other people's faces when she tells them her trail name. She stopped to get water and I continued on. As I was going down the trail, I noticed a small hill with a well worn path leading up to the top. There couldn't be a view from there especially with the fog from the rain storm early in the morning. Normally, I would have ignored such triviality but I was compelled to climb it anyways. What I found was amazing. On top was a stone with the following engraved in it "If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again". The picture included with this entry is that of this stone. What was expressed was a longing for a loved one who had past away. Obviously, I believe that Dawn is in a better place, no longer suffering. But the desire to have her here is still the same. After standing there a while, thinking about Dawn, I continued on. I eventually caught up with "Half Man" and ended up hiking with her for the better part of the day. We didn't talk a lot mostly because I was in one of my contemplative moods. There was much to process concerning the last several months. I can't say that I've reached any sort of earth shattering conclusions but I have figured out a few things about myself and what changes I intend to make concerning my life. These will be revealed at the appropriate time either as definite actions or changes in attitudes. We continued along, crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway four times. The next 100 miles or so will be right next to the Parkway giving us access to many of the overlooks that are on the Parkway. We stopped at Cove Mountain Shelter where we caught up with "Double Check". "One Step" and "Poncho". We sat around talking about the upcoming swimming hole at Jennings Creek. After signing the registry, "Half Man" and I took off for the creek. It was great to take a quick swim even if my shorts and undershorts got wet. Probably the only way I was going to bath. Afterwards, we sat on a large rock and just soaked up the sun. "Poncho" decided to push on to the next shelter while the rest of us setup camp near the creek. A fire was built and we all prepared and ate dinner around it. We were later joined by "Firestarter", "Rainbow", "Mr Black" and "Trapper". They got in late, quickly setup their tents just as the rest of us were heading for our tents for the evening. The weather turned out nice with the clouds disappearing completely and the temperature staying a little toward the cooler side compared to the heat we had earlier.