Date: 2010-03-27
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap / Franklin
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

3/27Rock gap shelter to winding stair gap3.8 milesThat's not ear wax.  That's excess knowledge leaking out.Last night everybody staying in the shelter ( Peace Tree, Little Aspen, Cody, and me) decided we would get up at six so we could hike to Winding Stair Gap in time to catch Ron Haven's morning shuttle in to Franklin. I went to bed earlyish after an *amazing* fire complete with burning AT symbol. I was so cold!  Like shivering deep down cold. I finally came to an arrangement around 1 AM that let me sleep - more clothing, a hand warmer, and my down coat draped over me inside the bag. Still I tossed and turned and kept Cody awake with the rustling. (everybody later agreed it was a cold night and I found out most have much warmer bags than me. Hrm. )At two minutes to six I got the tap to wake up. I woke reasonably quickly and began packing up. At six thirty I was ready and started walking in the pitch black ahead of the others.  It felt fun and adventurous to be up hiking in the night. I quickly discovered that my one LED light was insufficient. I used my second handheld LED light in combination with the headlamp to give an okay view of the trail.  However my eyes soon adjusted and I found the lights mostly unneccesary. It was fun and exhilarating to let my feet find and deal with the inconsistencies in the footing - rocks and roots.  It reminded me of horseback riding in the dark and how well my body dealt with that without my mind's interference.I got to the gap well ahead of the expected shuttle but it never came. Cody and I got colder and colder as we waited for over an hour. Then a minivan pulled up. A teacher/mom was dropping off her son for a hike and very kindly agreed to drive us to Franklin as she was going that way. I should have gotten her name written down so I could thank her properly but I didn't.  Thank you, trail angel!In town I got a room right away and then walked to the post office for packages from DeLee and Phoenix Rising, both wonderful.  Delee's let me do my laundry and PR's had many goodies in it. Laundry and a blissfully hot shower happened concurrently. Oh my. You forget just what a wonderful invention a hot shower is until you haven't had access to one for a while. Hiking really makes me appreciate the modern conveniences. I determined after some sorting that I needed this for my resupply: a roll of TP (just to be safe), two pitas, and some hard boiled eggs. Everything else was still there from the last town, or given to me by PR.  Totally wacky. And that's after I gave away my untouched cheese. I also determined to go to the outfitter to look for a warmer sleeping bag and a few other items to replace frayed or failing gear.  I didn't like the sleeping bags they had so that plan is on hold. I'm having JD ship me a quilt to put in my bag and that should keep me warm at the expense of another pound of weight. Le sigh.  The backpack keeps getting heavier!After such a busy day I went to the local steakhouse with a bunch of hikers and had a tasty meal and fun conversation. It was so fulfilling and a huge contrast to my typical trail night of rehydrated something or other and a sleeping bag as soon as the sky grows dim.Tomorrow looks to be another rainy day, with warmer weather forecast for later in the week. I hope today's stop imparts a little extra fortitude in dealing with the damp. One can hope, anyway. If not I should at least be able to get Cody to complain in harmony with me.