Date: 2012-01-16
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Cold Springs Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

I slept well and was up early. I hurried to get ready and packed up so as to be all set when Ron, the shuttle driver, would pick me up. After everything was good to go, I was trying to decide if I had time to run, well, hobble, down to the gas station to get some coffee and be back in time. Thankfully, Ron showed up early and he obligingly drove me down so I could get my morning dose on our way up to Winding Stair Gap. I was feeling strong, and it really showed. I powered my way up Siler and down the other side with no trouble at all. A bit past the summit there was a family out for a walk, but they barely noticed me as I passed by. Wayah was a bit more of a challenge, especially before a snack break. Part way up I met Hopalong, a hiker out for a training hike. I believe he plans to start a NOBO thru hike this spring and was out getting some miles in. We chatted for a while I refilled (and treated!) my water bottle. A couple of guys in a car stopped to talk, too. The wind was chilling and I had miles to go, so I made my farewells and continued huffing and puffing my way up the mountain. The wind at the top was blowing even more strongly, so I paused only long enough for a couple of pictures and headed on down. When I passed Wayah Shelter it was still early, so I kept going. I was shooting for Cold Spring Shelter tonight. I'd stayed there a couple of years ago, so I knew I could find it and its water source easily. Both are *right* on the Trail. Other than a few blowdowns between Lickdog and Burningtown Gaps the Trail was fairly easy. As I left Burningtown Gap the sun was setting. I tried to quicken my pace, but of course I was getting tired by this time, so the uphill seemed steeper and longer than I remembered. I like walking at that time of day - as twilight falls, darkness settles in, and the night shift takes over. There's something almost as palpable as a sigh in the forest. The moon had not yet risen, but the stars gave just enough light that most of the time I could walk, carefully, without my headlamp, switching it on only in areas where the footing might be uncertain. Finally, in the darkness an even darker shape took form - the shelter. No one else was there, so I took over the shelter as I emptied my pack and set up for the night. It took a couple of knocks on the head to remind me that this shelter has a rather low ceiling and to take care. Collecting water, treating it, heating water to rehydrate dinner, inflating my Big Agnes pad, fluffing my sleeping bag, eating dinner, sending out a couple of emails to let folks know I was in and safe for the night, changing, etc all occupied me for a while. To save batteries I kept my headlamp off as much as I could. But as I sat on the edge of the shelter floor I could hear rustlings behind me. I turned quickly, but by the time I got my headlamp on, there was nothing there. A moment later the same thing happened, but this time I got a glimpse of one of the culprits - a shelter mouse. I clutched my food trying to protect it. Visions of the movie "Aliens" came to mind. Would hordes of shelter mice overrun me and my foil pouch of food? Would only my bones be left along with rows of self-satisfied shelter mice grinning and picking their teeth? Aaaah! It must have been the fact that it is so early in the season that saved me. Later in the season when it warms up, the mice will surely have a field day when more hikers stay there. The sky was very clear and the stars were burning brightly when I went out to hang my bear bags. The cold wind was still blowing, but the weather forecast called for a change - rain tomorrow. Once I settled into my warm sleeping bag though, all was well. The trickle of the stream just outside was a restful sound. There were no more signs of shelter mice, and I sighed and slept deeply.