Date: 2014-05-15
From: daleville,va

To: bobblets gap shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: very heavy rain

Today got weird right from the start. We were heading back to the trail but not before our free continental breakfast. As i left the room another hotel guest that looked like he was checking into his room passed me. I made eye contact and said hello, he said hello and asked how the rooms were. I told him they were ok. Then on to breakfast. Funny how cereal can be a real treat because you never have milk on the trail, usually oatmeal every day. I loaded up on bowls of cereal and little cups of coffee before going back to the room for the final pack up and head back out to the wilderness. All ready to go i stepped out of the room with my packback on and poles in hand. The fella i talked to before was again coming toward me. I said hello again. He stops and says, you look like a serial killer. I first though he was joking and replied 'how do you know im not?' Thats when i realized things were not as i thought things were. He told me how he had done 20 yrs for killing somebody but he had found jesus but hes not afraid to take someones life if he needs to. I commented about the dish full of donuts he was carrying to try to make a funny, he set the donuts down and told me how when he feels threatened he gets his bop on. He asked if i knew what bopping was. Nope. So he showed me. He starts strutting around saying this is so people know he is ready for anything. I thought to myself, holy good christ what in the nlazes is going on here? Then he starts telling about running with the gangs in nyc and shanking people in prison. So, me being me, im not worried about this yet even though this fella is about 6'2" and fairly big. I do have a plan if it gets sticky. I have 2 sharp trekking poles that will surely impale him should they need to. Heres were it got real weird. As he is running on telling me how tough he is. Then again about finding jesus but not afraid to end a life he says 'and not for nothing but im a big man'! And at the same time he pulls off his shirt!! Right in the hotel parking lot! Now i was surely not afraid. Besides the fact that capt phillips was ther the guy was flabby with skinny arms. He shouldnt have played that card. As we said good bye he said something about a serial killer again. Captain phillips said 'i hope hes not, i have been with him for 6 weeks!' Our new friend rambled on as we left. It was time to get out of civilization and get back to the woods where normal people live. So the forecast called for 'inches' of rain today. The question would not be if it was going to rain but how exactly much? We had pack covers on from the start to beat the rush. Only a few miles in when it started. Too warm to put on a raincoat so we moved on up the way. If you wear a raincoat when its warm or youre going up a hill you will end up just as wet as you will from the rain. We had hoped to get to the first shelter before it really started to come down just to hole up for a bit. We didnt make it. Buckets came down upon us. Full buckets, we could not get wetter, the trail was a river, and the shelter was still a few miles off. I was not discouraged because we knew this was coming, its just part of the big adventure. That being said i was glad to get to the shelter to get out of the downpour. Bubba and nineteen were there, the only others i knew that were going out today. Everyone else was taking a weather zero. They got to the shelter just before it rained hard and were waiting for the slow down to go back out. We were all heading for the same destination so we would see them through the day. They both are really nice guys. When it slowed they took off, we had a snack break and left shortly after them. It was still raining but not monsoon type rain. For the rest of the day there really wasnt much to see as we were in the clouds and rain but we did get to see a million little orange salamanders on the trail. I could tell they loved the weather from the smiles they jad on their faces. When we arrove at our destination the rain had slowed to a sprinkle so i set up my tent in what looked to be the flattest, driest place. I decided to tent for two teasons, one being that i prefer to sleep in my tent over the shelters and the other is that it was cold out and i posted home my sleeping bag so i thought the tent would be warmer. Yup, i sent my sleeping bag home after not using it for a week due to the heat and now the lo temps were to be in the forties for the next few days. Poop. My original plan was to sleep in my pants and raincoat if need be but i had worn my raincoat in the afternoon so that was wet and not available to sleep in. This was lookin grim. I had at my disposal my bed roll, a silk liner, light hiking pants, and t shirts. I put on two pair of socks, pants, and a t shirt, with a t shirt over that but with my arms inside. Complicated right? It was my only hope and it worked fairly well. Well , i didnt freeze to death so it worked but it was a less than enjoyable evening. The good thing was that the river that ended up forming under my tent during the night stayed under my tent and not in my tent. Therefore i will again say that i am the luckiest shivering guy on the AT.