Date: 2008-04-17
From: Wilson Creek Shelter VA

To: Cove Mountain Shelter VA
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 60 ¢ Thursday April 17 ¢ Cove Mountain Shelter VA ¢ Miles Today: 13.7 Total Miles: 741.6We had a leisure morning in the tent. We did not set the alarm as we had just 13.7 official miles today, over 14 if you count our detours for water. We decided to start the day about 6:45 and were on the trail by 7:30. It was already 47-48 degrees. We headed out in our shorts and #1s enjoying a clear morning with perfect temperatures for hiking. Today we began our crisscross over the Blue Ridge Parkway. We walked along the Parkway for a good bit. I think the quietness of the true wilderness experience we had in Georgia and North Carolina is over for quite a while. With the Blue Ridge Parkway here, the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah and the more populated areas in the Northeast, I think our hike over the next couple months will change quite a bit. As we approached Bobblets Gap Shelter at lunchtime, we saw 4 guys heading towards the shelter carrying a huge cooler.   Hot diggity dog, we are about to score some Trail Magic! Unfortunately for us, it was filled with beer, which did not interest us. However we did score 2 bite-sized Snickers bars from Red Dog, who attempted a thru-hike in 1995. We enjoyed the Snickers as we cooked our warm meal for the day, due to the dry shelter tonight. We had a nice time sitting at the picnic table, eating our meal and talking to the 4 guys from the Salem Virginia area, which is right below McAfee Knob. It seems like we did most of the talking about our thru-hike experience, but very nice guys and a very relaxing meal. We probably were there for 1 1/4 hours! As we were leaving, Red Dog asked if we wanted 2 more Snickers. Of course we had no pride and said, "Sure!" I think we ate all of his Snickers, but we were happy and that's what counts. Right?? THANKS Red Dog!We stocked up on water before leaving as Cove Mountain Shelter, which is about 6 miles away is a dry shelter and we weren't aware of any creek crossings coming up. Off we went with 8 pounds of water. It was a good thing we had a lot of water, as it was very hot today - in the mid 80s ¢ and we were drinking quite a bit especially as we headed up the mountain to our shelter. By the time we got to Cove Mountain Shelter, Brakeman had a bad sinus headache so we pitched the tent, dove in and tried to snooze. It was 85 degrees inside the tent, no wind was blowing and the sun was beating right on the tent cooking us even more. Sleep was not easy to come by. But luckily, Brakeman got a little bit of a snooze that helped him shake off most of the headache.After our rest, we went to visit with the other hikers. Here with us tonight is Chris from Toledo, a young guy who is on a 4-month schedule due to work. Chris is known as the person who started his hike with 2 heavy pairs of denim jeans! We wanted so much to call him ¢Cotton Chris¢ but he really doesn't want to be known for his mistakes. Really nice gentleman. Also here with us are Turtle and Snickers. The 5 of us sat around the picnic table and talked for a good hour this evening. Unfortunately, during that talk, Brakeman found the first tick of the season on his leg and was able to get if off but it now means we need to be careful and check ourselves for ticks as the tick season has arrived. The shelter was full of bees. We could hear the buzzing of them as we all sat around the picnic table, 15 feet away. Chris explained to us they are carpenter bees and are more interested in the wood than stinging humans. But regardless, everyone is tenting tonight.While we were all sitting around camp this evening talking, 2 deer walked by on the AT northbound. Perhaps we'll see them tomorrow. We were about .1 mile off the trail but we could see up at the ridgeline and heard them go by. Quite neat. Snickers said they saw numerous snakes on the trail this afternoon when they were hiking about 15 minutes ahead of us. We thanked them for their snake-clearing efforts and hope that they'll do more in the future. Before it got too dark, Brakeman went to hang the food bag. Unfortunately since he was not feeling well, it does not go as well as normal. After several attempts to heave the rock over a tree limb, he gave up and found a lower limb. The sinus headache had zapped his strength. Today was a very memorable day.   It was the day that Grasshopper has been waiting for, for 24 years. After 24 years of marriage, Brakeman has announced he is doing his own shopping! Why, you ask?? Well, at the last town, Grasshopper did the shopping for him at the Outfitter. He needed a pair of socks and a pair of gloves. Well, Grasshopper looked at his new socks today and just started giggling. To go with his god-awful yellow shoes, he now has a pair of gray socks with god-awful green trim. He looks like a complete clown. Brakeman, however, does not have a problem with color. What he has a problem with is the socks were labeled as women's socks. Mind you, they have no pink on them. Grasshopper could have gotten him the pink ones and he would never have known until we were back at the motel and it was too late to return them. Grasshopper instead got him the green ones. They were the only socks in the Outfitter that were his size. Despite the fact that they are women¢s socks, he doesn't look like too much of a girl, not any more than he normally does. He also has an issue with the glove liners that Grasshopper bought for him. They're not pink; they're not purple; they're black. But the gloves glow in the dark! He still looks like a clown. He has now decided he is doing his own shopping. Grasshopper is quite pleased. Life is good. It's about 8:00 and has cooled down to 70 degrees! It feels so much better. Tomorrow we'll do our normal earlier start, as we have a 17-mile day planned. It also looks like that shelter could be dry, so for the last 5 miles, we'll be humping our water once again. Goodnight from Virginia.