Date: 2019-07-06
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

7.2 miles1388ft up1531ft downWoke up refreshed but it was already quite muggy inside the tent. A whole ecosystem had started to develop under the rain tarp: many small flies which had gotten trapped up at the top (and one large fly), and several spiders which had built webs below them, hoping for them to wander in.By the time I got out of the tent, the folks from the nearby shelter had already moved out, so I decided to move camp over there for breakfast. Noticed one other tent with a late riser, which I¢d later find out was Cocoa.I knew it was going to rain today, but was frustrated because I haven¢t had good phone reception for a while, not even on the tops of mountains. I hope Verizon has better coverage farther in.The first part of the day was a notorious uphill slog, and the head and super humidity made it harder. But I felt a slight breeze which made it not too bad. By the time I made it to the top and to some powerlines, the breeze passing through there was too wonderful to resist. I sat down for a snack and a break and looked down at the powerlines stretching into the distance. Unbuttoned my shirt and let the breeze air it out. The sweat weighing it down felt like it was just dipped in a bucket of water...Trudged on and managed to get barely enough reception to get a weather update. Chance of showers starting around 2pm.But by the time I made it to the beaver outlet, I noticed increasing drops of water starting to impact and ripple in the pond. Doh! Soon it turned into a hard downpour and I scrambled to put my pack cover on. Also swapped out my sun hat for my rain hat - my ¢Seattle sombrero¢. The downpour was bad and I waited it out a bit under my umbrella, till it turned to a lighter rain. And with that I was hiking again...Hiked on and the rain picked up yet again. I hid under some trees with my umbrella and contemplated setting up camp there, but I had to remind myself that I needed water.What looked like a dad and his son passed by... the son didn¢t look too thrilled. Guessing it was dad¢s idea to hike in the downpour...Sure enough the rain let up again, so I made more progress. Soon the rain stopped altogether, and the sun came out again. Passed a work crew that was working to maintain the trail.Got to another pond area where I could see almost 360 degrees all around, and the clouds looked ok and not dark and imposing. Maybe the forecast could have changed? I didn¢t like not being able to check, out of range of reception again.Made it to Congdon Shelter maybe around 4pm and saw Cocoa there. He was taking a lunch break. I was beat - so I planned to just stop there. Also to play it safe with the weather. Sure enough, soon the sky became dark and imposing, and the rain followed soon after. Not long after that, Wing It showed up - he was waiting for another hiker who was going to split a hotel bill with him.After a while I think he gave up and was starting to settle in, but sure enough after maybe an hour or so, an older man with a southern accent showed up absolutely soaked. He did not look happy. The entire left side of his body was covered in mud, the undeniable evidence of a bad fall. Hiking in the rain makes those kind of falls possible...I don¢t know why, but I couldn¢t take my eyes off of him, I just kept staring and was amazed and his tenacity. Crazy enough, he wanted to keep the original plan of hiking 3 more miles and splitting the hotel bill, so the younger guy agreed. The older man knew he was going slower, so he left first, then Wing It, the younger guy, staggered his departure and trailed after him maybe a half hour later.A couple arrived at the shelter soon after, and I had a couple of unsuccessful rounds trying to hang up my bear bag while preparing for dinner and sleep. Third time¢s the charm - on that third trip out, I finally found a good rock and launched it over my choice branch. Good to get in more throwing practice for sure!The sky got darker and darker, and no one else seemed to show up by the time of writing, around 8:30pm. Guessing some hardcore hikers may arrive later after dark.