Date: 2004-06-04
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Woodshole Hostel
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: clear sky

It's June 4th now. It rained most of the night. The no-see-ums got a bit nasty. It's a pretty soggy morning. I left Jenny Knob Shelter at around 8:30am in the rain. It's never easy to leave a dry roof to hike in the rain but what's a thru-hiker to do. Buick must have gotten a much later start because he never caught me on the trail today. It rained steadily all morning. It took a little break around 1:30pm but not for long.The trail plowed through some meadows. The term plowed may sound odd but not after considering the tall grasses and short bushes that leaned in to obliterate the trail. They were of course careful to collect as much water as possible and deliver every drop conceivable to a passing hiker. It's like being in two rain storms at once, one from above and one from below. This must be how a car feels in one of those automatic car washes.Rainy Day Philosophy:It may sound like this was a depressing day but really it wasn't, at least not for me. It's these days that make me appreciate the others all the more. These days definitely build character and determination. There was a determination not to let the rain get me down and that's important. One of the cool things about this day was that I saw no fewer than 5 big turtles. They would just be sitting there in the trail or walking down or across the trail. One time I was stepping over a log. Suddenly I see this turtle hiding on the other side forcing me to make a midair change in foot trajectory to avoid landing on the critter. What was more stunning was that I caught this turtle just as he was snatching a snail in his jaws. That was just amazing. What else would a turtle catch but a snail. That image kept a smile on my face the rest of the day.Eight and a half miles into the day there was a side trail to a waterfall. Now three tenths of a mile is a bit far afield for this thru-hiker but it's right on the edge of reasonable. Besides, it had been over 8 miles since leaving Jenny Knob Shelter this morning and the next shelter was another 12 miles. When the situation is dire and there is no place to take cover it is easy to fall into the just-keep-going trap. Of course, then you don't eat. Your energy level falls off and things can get really bad. To top it off the waterfall trail was an even 600 miles from the summit of Springer Mountain. It just called out for a celebration with lunch part one. Most of all, to skip it would be giving into the weather and we can't have that. The falls weren't high but they were massive and thundering especially with the extra water of this storm. It looked like it would be a great swimming hole and picnic area on a fairer day. Even after reaching the falls, there was still the urge to skip lunch and just keep walking but I knew better and took the time to fuel the furnace in the rain and appreciate the forces of nature over this place and over me.The trail all day was a combination of river and lake. That's not to say views of, but that the trail had been transformed. It wasn't a maintenance issue. There was just too much water. This is, of course, kind of liberating to the hiker. There is simply no way to keep boots and feet dry so why try. We are now at liberty to walk right through the puddle, lake or stream that now engulfs the trail. There is no pussy footing around so to speak.It was afternoon when a tent suddenly appeared right on the side of the trail just over a little bridge. There were a couple of hikers huddled inside looking mighty comfy and dry. They must have decided to wait out the storm. It didn't seem that the next shelter could be that much further on though.In fact Wapiti Shelter came pretty soon. It was perched on a hill side just a few hundred feet from the trail. It was dry and empty and that was sweet. It was only 2:20pm so this would be lunch part 2. I wrung out my socks and made a critical decision here. The prospect of even worse no-see-ums tonight and being in such a soggy state lead me to the conclusion that the hostel at Woodshole would be a better choice than Doc's Knob Shelter. It would shorten the day by 2.2 miles but still maintain a respectable 20.4 miles. Granted Woodshole Hostel was a half mile off the trail but it was a dirt road walk. The next six and a half miles seemed to take too long but Woodshole was an oasis. There were already a few hikers there and several others arrived later on into the night. It was still raining at the 20.4 mile mark where the trail crossed Sugar Run Gap Road. There was no hesitation about turning down the road to make the 0.5 mile trek to Woodshole. My only thought was to get out of the rain. I had no idea how nice it would be. Buick showed up shortly. He wasn't far behind.