Date: 2008-04-05
From: Lost Mnt. Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

I kept waking up sporadically throughout the night...this means one of two things: a) I need to go to the bathroom before I sleep or b) I need to carry a "Pee Jug!!!" By 7a, however, Pa Bert was up and moving...so, Stovie and I both woke up to "relieve" ourselves. Soon, everyone was up. Oh! It's kind of neat because the rain moved in at around 8-ish pm and didn't stop until 6a, which was pleasant to sleep to. While Team Deutschmark was eating, Pa Bert and Yeti hit the trail. The first thing I did, was head to the privy and enjoy the musings of Dr. Suess. Unfortunately, I only got to finish 1/3 of it, but I will finish it at the next privys!!! One of the worst things about today was...the HUMIDITY!!! It's very high and the fog is soooo thick. So, Toddy Bear left at 8:15a, telling us that we would soon catch him, and I pulled out at around 8:30a...I KNOW Fester and Stovie will catch me. Well, within 20 minutes of hiking, I slipped--hmm...it was more of a partial-slip because I caught myself right before my face hit the rock on the trail!!! After crossing the road, I signed the trail register. Yeti signed his mode of transportation being a segway...too funny! I later learned that Fester said his was THE ELECTRIC SLIDE (he is too hilarious). So, I continued and crossed a very nice, quaint meadow before VA 601 and decided to enjoy the view. Then, I began the long 1480ft climb up to Whitetop Mnt. Within minutes, I passed Yeti and Pa Bert. I don't know what has gotten into me, but I am feeling really good physically. The humidity was so high during our accent, that we all had Dew on our hair, beards, and clothes. As I got near Whitetop Mnt. Road, I saw Toddy Bear and took his pic while he stood overlooking the foggy horizon from a rock. When we reached the spring, which gushes like Niagara Falls, T. Bear and I took a snack break and were joined by Stovie, Yeti, and Pa Bert. Right before we reached Elk Gardens, Toddy Bear, Stovie and I discovered some strange tubing wrapped around the trees. It seemed odd, so we took some pics...Pa Bert later informed us that it was to help when they "tap" the trees for Maple Syrup. At the parking lot, we signed another register, but this time, I put our names as TEAM DEUTSCHMARK and that our mode of transportation was a ROUNDHORSE!!! Once we got to Deep Gap, Stovie, T. Bear and I decided to stop for lunch. Within 10 minutes, however, Fester, Pa Bert and Yeti joined us. We eventually reached the side trail to the summit of Mnt. Rogers, but decided to keep pushing on because it was too foggy and it's a viewless summit! When we finally made it to the Thomas Knob Shelter, we were all pretty disappointed to learn that the solar-composting privy was destroyed. After reading the Appalachian Times, we learned some new things: 1) Chris and Lacey caught 6 mice last night, which brings the total score up to...Chris 16, Mice 2, and 2) Roundhorse and Brandon planned to push an additional 11 miles yesterday, but that would give them a 20+ mile day and I don't think they would do that in this terrain. Then, we walked on some rocky terrain and saw our first [tame] wild pony. I got some video footage of our encounter...It's pretty hilarious how 4 men/boys act when a Shetland sized horse appears out of the mist!!! Just before our last "horse guard," I saw a group of people standing. As I kept approaching, I heard a guy with blonde hair ask, ¢Bad Hummus, is that you?¢ It took me awhile, but I eventually realized that this guy was the dude from ETSU I met while during my ¢blister zeros.¢ As it turns out, the ETSU outdoors club was on their spring retreat. Also, I saw my friends Betsy and Muhammed. I spoke with them for a bit and then they left because it was 3p and they still had 10 miles left to hike. Sporadically meeting people you know while on the trail is the BEST trail magic ever. After meeting Betsy and Jaddua, I didn¢t stop smiling for quite some time!!! When I eventually reached the Wise Shelter, Stovie was there and Toddy Bear and I quickly set our stuff up. In the distance, we heard a huge group of people approaching the shelter and decided to ¢reserve¢ 3 more spots for Yeti, Fester, and Pa Bert. As the 10 man group arrived, they sat for a bit and realized that they wouldn¢t beat the storm before reaching the Thomas Knob Shelter, but they decided to return back to their cars because they didn¢t want to get their stuff wet!!! Oh! While we were eating, Fester told us a funny story about when he and Stovie were with Roundhorse and Brandon: After accusing them of ¢stealthing,¢ Brandon and Roundhorse began arguing over who ate their apple yesterday. Listening to Fester do this impression made me feel as if I were standing in the shelter the night they were arguing.