Date: 2013-05-10
From: Fort Bastion, Laurel Creek

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

I normally avoid negativity in my journal but I feel obligated to post this for hikers behind me and future hikers who may be reading my journal. To round out my bad decisions from yesterday . . . staying at Fort Bastian was a bad idea (for me). The guidebook lists Fort Bastian as having laundry and breakfast as services available. If there's laundry here I haven't found it. The partying around the campfire lasted until 6:00 a.m. I put in my earplugs about midnight to try to get some sleep.   At 7:00 two guys started walking and trying to find their way back to the trail. At 8:45 TruBrit got up and started fixing breakfast. I had already eaten pop tarts so I didn't eat much breakfast. I feel trapped here unless I want to walk the mile or so up the mountain to the trail. Finally, unless you believe that the only way to save the USA is for the state militias to rise up and take control, that Obama is the root of all evil, you don't mind being around weapons, and you don't mind racial and ethnic jokes . . . you are probably are not going to be comfortable with the fireside conversation. If all of that is ok with you, then you will really enjoy Fort Bastian and may even want to zero there several days as some of my fellow hikers decided to do. In fairness to TruBrit, it is all free. The breakfast is scrambled eggs and bacon. He runs hikers into town for free to resupply. He does have an engaging personality and he is very welcoming. Frustratingly, I didn't reach the trailhead until 10:30. I feel better than yesterday but still not very energetic. The trail was a more gentle slope than yesterday. I found a lunch spot with a terrific view and made sure I took my shoes and soaks off. My thoughts today are with my darling wife who's sister (Janet) passed away today. It wasn't unexpected but nonetheless sad. Janet was very welcoming to me when we got married and I will miss her. The trail was above I-77 for several miles. It was odd looking down on the traffic rushing in each direction. The forecast is for thunderstorms and rain so I needed to make a decision as to whether I was going into town and stay in a hotel or push on to the shelter which is only 2 miles away. The clouds were getting dark but I really didn't want to get stuck in a town so I decided to head for the shelter. I would like to hike further but the threatening sky tells me it will be a short day. The climb to the shelter is a little over 500 ft and Smiley Virgin and Smokes passed me - they are planning to go another 12 miles. The thunder started when I was 2 miles from the shelter. Just as I arrived at the shelter the sky opened up and it started lightening followed by a hail storm. The shelter holds a capacity of 6 but we weren't leaving anyone out in the storm so we have 7 people in the shelter. Coincidentally the father and his 13 year old daughter who are sleeping beside me are from New Gloucester, Maine - about 7 miles from our house. Even more coincidental, he is a nurse and so am I. We just heard the loud crash of a tree falling not far away. It's good to be in a dry shelter and I like the group of people here . . .