Date: 2007-05-17
From: Cove Mtn

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was sort of a lazy day for me. I was on the trail by 8:00 and made my way to Cove Mtn Shelter by 8:45. It was about two miles from where I had camped last night. I read and signed the shelter journal. I found a Walt Disney carabiner with built in compass hanging in the shelter. I held the compass level and the sun was to the east, so it is reasonably accurate. I took the carabiner and attached it to my pack. I had recently eliminated my compass from my pack. I figured I could navigate well enough based on the sun or stars, but then when I saw the raging fires in Florida on TV in Daleville I got concerned about overcast skies or smoke. The trail delivered a little magic that I hope I won't have to use.I left the shelter after about a 30 minute break and saw two day hikers heading south. I hiked down to Jennings Creek, which was only another 3.1 miles up the trail. Bowleg was there with his dog Bono. I had not seen them since Damascus. He was waiting for his girl friend to arrive to take them back to Damascus for Trail Days. I considered swimming in the creek. There was a swimming hole about 3 or 4 feet deep and about 15 feet across. The skies were partly cloudy and it was fairly cool when the sun was behind the clouds, so I took my boots off and sat on the rocks talking with Bowleg. I made some Gatorade and ate my morning snacks. About an hour later the skies had cleared, so I jumped in the creek. The water was cold, but it was very refreshing. I got out and stood in the sun waiting for my clothes to dry a little and then got ready to hike again. From there I hiked 3.7 miles to Bryant Ridge Shelter. It is a huge timber frame shelter that can sleep 20. It was built in 1992 and is one of the largest on the AT. It was now 1:45, so I ate lunch here. I had pizza wraps that I made from: Spinach with Garlic and Pesto wraps, pepperoni, extra sharp cheddar cheese, and pizza sauce in a squeeze bottle. They were delicious. I will have the same lunch for the next 2 days. It was good to have something different for lunch, but this stuff is heavy and I will be glad when it is out of my pack. I left the shelter around 3:00 and still needed to cover 10.3 miles today. This included a 3,000 foot increase in elevation. Most of the trail was gradual inclines and with overcast skies, cool temps, and a gentle breeze I was able to climb without any problems. I saw a black bear near the top of Floyd Mtn. He ran off before I could get a picture. I finally reached Thunder Hill Shelter at 8:15. It had been sprinkling on and off and the clouds were getting darker and it had been thundering for the last 30 minutes of my hike. There were 3 hikers in the shelter already in their sleeping bags. They said there was room for me, but I elected to set up my tent. I didn't get their names. Hopefully I will meet them in the morning. I haven't seen many people on the trail the past two days. I filtered some water and cooked some Lipton's Red Beans and Rice. The rain, thunder, and lightning continued to increase. Once my food was done cooking I climbed in my tent to eat. The rain, thunder, and lightning continue. My whole tent lights up some times and the thunder is very loud. I hope I am still dry in the morning.