Date: 2004-07-11
From: Chester Gap, Virginia

To: Red Tongue, Full Tummy
Miles today: 14.3

I left the Shenandoah National Park this morning, another small milestone on this journey. My next objective is Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. I stopped at a shelter to eat lunch and obtain some water. Most shelters are located near water sources like streams or springs. This one, named the Denton Shelter, featured a cold shower located down a nearby path. I stood under a metal tank and pulled on a chain like device, releasing a cascade of chilly water over me.At the shelter, Sardine and Smack had also stopped for lunch. We hung out for a while, then Sardine and I hit the trail together. Smack was taking a nap.During the day, I contemplated a discussion I had yesterday with the owner of the hostel, a former thru hiker. He suggested that I am not hiking fast enough to reach Mount Katahdin, the terminus of the Appalachian Trail, by October 15. That is the date which Baxter State Park, the location of the mountain, closes. He suggested that I do a "flip," which means bussing up to Mount Katahdin, climbing the mountain, and hiking south from there until I complete the trail.My goal is to finish this journey on Mount Katahdin. Still, his assessment has me concerned.This afternoon Mother Nature had a treat in store for Sardine and I. We hiked by bushes that contained large quantities of ripe raspberries. I am mildly allergic to that fruit, but could not resist the urge to stuff myself silly with them. Sardine and I filled up a water bottle with the raspberries, intending to eat them as a desert tonight.We made camp at Manassas Gap Shelter. The area around the shelter resembles a jungle with dense brush, hanging vines, and multitudes of insects. I was assaulted by the bugs as I strung up my hammock.I approached Sardine to suggest that we gather some wood to start a campfire; that would hopefully keep the insects at bay."Are you crazy?" I said to him. Sardine was bare-chested amid this insect attack. He agreed that the bugs were awful and a fire was necessary, but he preferred to make camp without his sweaty hiking shirt on. It is usually impossible to gather firewood in the immediate vicinity of a shelter. Legions of hikers have picked these areas clean. We had to hike 150 yards down a spur trail and part of the Appalachian Trail to find wood. Several trips back and forth meant that we must have hiked an extra mile just to obtain firewood.The fire did the trick and we ate our suppers, and the raspberries, without much harassment from the bugs. Word has it that this shelter is free of mice because it is the home to some copperhead snakes that live under the floor and in some rocks out front.Hikers Smack and Wipeout showed up for the night. Another hiker in his twenties stopped in temporarily with a pit bull. The dog was wearing its own food pack. The animal immediately lay down in a state of exhaustion. These hikers talked about their plans tomorrow to hike 20 miles to a hostel. The route would take them over a notorious stretch of trail several miles long called "The Rollercoaster;" it features a series of frequent ascents and descents.I was happy to be camping with Wipeout again. Her real name is Olivia, one of the original four hikers from that first night on the Appalachian Trail. She had taken a few days off to visit home. We, along with Sardine, chatted until past 10:00 p.m.; Smack went to sleep early.I am concerned by the suggestion that my pace of travel will not be sufficient to get me to Mount Katahdin by October 15. I need to prove to myself that I have the strength to hike longer and harder, and hopefully improve my odds to reach Mount Katahdin before the closure of Baxter State Park. Tomorrow, I will give myself a test. I will attempt to follow in the footsteps of the younger hikers at this shelter¢-Sardine, Wipeout, and Smack¢and hike twenty miles to that hostel. It will mean hiking through "The Rollercoaster."