Date: 2013-05-27
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: stream at mile 607.6
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: few clouds

It was cool and relatively flat so I made great tracks for 6.5 miles to the gravel road. It was memorial day so we were all hoping for trail magic. A car pulled up while Redup, slownsteady, Remy, Outside Dog, and Sprouts and I were snacking. Out jumped 2 hikers, no trail magic. Oh well, there were 2 more roads that day. I get to the shelter soon enough with Redup and SlownSteady. We have a second lunch and inspect the nice 4 walled sheltered privy as the last 2 have been just thrones. Bailey and I come to the next stream and it's dry. Oh no! It'd been just over 24 hours since it rained and already streams were dry. Luckiley the next stream was flowing and Bailey drank and drank. It was gett hot so I made sure she drank enough. It was tough going and it got rocky. Bailey kept laying down on the trail as if to say break time. But she would bounce off the trail to chase a chipmunk. Near the top, Bailey layed down and just looked at me when I nudged her. So we took a 45 min. break in which she slept and I ate peanut butter and banana chips. Mudslide and T-1000 passed and Bailey was alert enough to bark at them. I packed up and headed on down the mtn. I got to a field and there were honeysuckle. I stopped to breath in deeply because it smelled so sweet. I tried a white honeysuckle and a yellow one as I listened to the buzzing bees. It really was a gorgeous day even though I was hot and sweaty. It only took about 15 min from there to get to the bridge. A guy had set up camp next to the river but I went ahead and took my boots off to dip my feet in the river. Bailey wouldn't come in the river because she thought I was going to give her a bath. The guy's name was Vita and he was planning on hiking the AT then driving around the country. I felt like I invaded his camp space. so I didn't dilly dally to long. Soe people went down the road half a mile to trents grocery but I didn't. I struggled up the mtn. in the heat, debating whether I should take the .3 side trail to Dismal Falls. Even though I was tired and a little upset from no Memorial Day trail magic, I took the trail to the falls. Back in Georgia, I had run into a past thru hiker that said take the side trails, look at the views even when you are tired. It could lift your mood and that's what we are out here for anyway. There was a family celebrating memorial day by swimming in the excellent swimming hole, cooking hot dogs and drinking sodas from an icy cooler. I sat there for about 15 min, a unsuccessful yogi-ing. I took some pictures of the falls and hiked back out. I talked to Mudslide but he took off as soon as it started to sprinkle. I was going .3 more to a stream and campsite where Cozy, Redup, SlownSteady and several others were supposed to be. I did not know if they were ahead or behind me as most of them went an extra mile to trents Grocery. I passed the stream and saw a path under some rhododendrons to a few campsites, No one else was there but it was raining so I quickly started to set up my tent, as I was putting the poles up, Redup came to get water and told me everyone was down the trail 50 more feet at a big campsite area. I wasn't set up completely so I took down my poles and picked up my tent and ground cloth and moved on up the trail. Cozy, Redup, T-100, slownSteady and Remi were all there. I wondered if I would've heard them from my spot. I used Redups Steripen as my pump filter was clogged. It worked really well cleaning a liter of water in 90 sec. I'd heard so much bad about them but Redup hadn't had any trouble. It didn't rain at all the rest of the night. I got up at6:15 and boiled 10oz of water like I normally do for oatmeal and hot choc but then I remembered I didn't have anymore choc. It wasn't all that cold in the mornings now but i usually drank it to make sure I drank in the morning and because it filled me up so,e. Bailey was all bouncy and roaring to go in the morning like normaly whining at me to hurry and put my boots on she stood still for her pack and we left at 7.