Date: 2015-09-01
From: Governor Clement Shelter

To: Gifford Woods State Park
Miles today: 13.9

We started late as we slept in that morning. We ate breakfast and put our gear together and set our destination as the Gifford Woods State Park where Rocky was a former employee. He said that he'd take care of the entrance fees and that there was a store and outfitter right down the road about a mile or two. The hike there was beautiful with pine and hardwood forests filled with moss covered boulders of all sizes and plenty of water sources to choose from. I looked down and saw a acorn that was broken and looked like an evil, demonic skull right on the trail! I had to stop and take a picture! The climb continued from the shelter up to Shrewsbury Peak and up 2,500' where we stopped briefly at the Cooper Lodge shelter for a snack. There were so many pine trees blown down and I wonder what storm had done that much damage! I almost stepped on a huge (2" long) brown furry caterpillar with long hair about as big around as my index finger! (1/2") I used a stick to move it off of the trail after it climbed on and I put it on a leafy branch for lunch! Then it was down to the Pico Camp and then the Churchhill Scott Shelter for another quick snack break. Along the way I noticed the beautiful patterns that the lichen made on the rocks. There were patterned dots of varying color making concentric circles and swirling patterns. Creation is constantly amazing me with both the large and the small in my daily hike. All I have to do is pay attention and appreciate the beauty around me. We climbed up and over a mountain and arrived at our destination. We enjoyed a short day and arrived fairly early at the park where I was happy and surprised to see shelters, just like the ones on the trail, only painted and in better condition than most! There was a bathroom with showers that ran on quarters. Rocky had told me to make sure that I had quarters at the last store that we had stopped at to be ready for this. I took a long and luxurious shower and washed my clothes in the shower after I had done cleaning myself, enjoying the extra time in the hot water. I charged my devices while I was there and walked back to the shelter clean and refreshed. For the first time Rocky set up in the shelter and not in his tent and he liked not having to mess with the tent. We had a beggar right away in the form of a cute chipmunk. I walked away from the shelter and set up a pile of trail mix and watched it excitedly find the pile after searching around a little. It stuffed it's tiny cheeks so full that they looked like they were going to pop! After a couple of trips to get it all it disappeared for the night to stash its trail magic for the winter. Speaking of food, we cooked our dinner at the picnic table. I love having picnic tables at shelters as they make things so much easier. My stomach had been making loud grumbling noises for awhile now so I made dinner. I concocted a meal of 2 packs Spicy Chicken Ramen Noodles, 1 small package of Blazing Buffalo and Bleu Cheese Combos,1 package of Chicken, olive oil and Sriracha seasoning. It turned out pretty well and definitely filled and pleased my empty stomach. We talked as we ate and he shared about his time working there as a groundskeeper and showed me some of the landscaping projects of work that he had contributed to near the shelter. All in all it is a beautiful park and I'd like to stay there again on my next thru-hike. I laid down and unwound to some Howard Shore's LOTR soundtracks. Listening to the soundtracks to the Lord of the Rings seems to transport you to Middle Earth, especially while hiking and suddenly, you are no longer looking out for bears, but Orcs and Rock Trolls! We're off to Mordor Frodo! Mt. Doom here we come! After listening for awhile and getting drowsy I put the ipod away and went to sleep.