Date: 2015-05-28
From: Vango/Abby Memorial Hostel

To: Black Bear Hostel, Hampton TN
Miles today: 12.6

AT Day 46: Cabin in Hampton12.6 miles today418.5 miles total1770.7 miles to go.I woke this morning, before dawn, thinking it was the rain outside that woke me. After a few moments I realized it wasn't rain, but rustling fabric that woke me. It took me a few more foggy moments to realize that it was my food bag rustling, and that's when I realized that a thief was trying to steal my food! I grabbed my headlamp, switched it on, and shined the beam on the food bag - at first, I didn't see anyone, but then a little gray mouse crawled out of the bag, hopped down to the floor, and scampered away. I got up, hung the food bag and my backpack from a cord on the other side of the bunk room, and went back to sleep. Ahh, hiker life....After daybreak, I got up for reals this time. I grabbed my food bag and joined Sir Teensy and Gilligan on the porch outside the hostel main house, where I laid out all of the items from the food bag and inspected them carefully, one by one. I couldn't find a hole in ANY of the bags inside my food bag (everything is separated into ziplock bags), so I guess I caught the thief at the beginning of his little shopping spree. I washed my spork just in case (using shampoo, because that was all that was at the sink), and ate breakfast.Hiking today was a chore, perhaps more so than ever before. I hiked alone most of the day, as is my custom, and had plenty of time to think. I attribute my weariness to three factors: I hiked 21 miles yesterday, and 13 of those at a pretty grueling pace; I haven't had a zero day in over a week; and I ate a pint of ice cream for dinner yesterday .... but mostly, I blame the ice cream.I would have been in Slytherin. Yesterday I came across a baby ring snake, no more than six inches long. I shooed him off the trail with my hiking staff.Later I came across a large rat snake, maybe five or six feet long. I shooed him off the trail as well (he was a little more resistant, and I didn't want to get bitten even if he isn't venomous). Then, later, I saw another baby snake right on the trail, but he was more tannish-colored (a copperhead maybe?) and I was right on top of him when I saw him, so I just stepped over him and kept going.I made it into Hampton fairly easily today. I had to stop there to pick up my resupply boxes. However, I got in a day earlier than expected: one box had arrived today, the other not yet. Hopefully tomorrow? If not, I'm hiking out without it. I'm not going to spend a zero day here just to wait for some food.Because only one box was here, I'm glad I decided to split a room with Big Sexxxy. A two person room turned into a four person cabin when we got to the hostel and found other people that he has hiked with, so we are splitting the cabin for $11.25 each - not too shabby, considering we each get our own bed, and we also get four walls, a roof, a door, and a shower and bathroom (in another building).We all caught a shuttle into town, where I went to Subway and got my trademark foot long chicken, bacon, and steak sandwich. After dinner, I took a shower and hand washed my clothes - it seemed like a good idea at the time, until I realized the laundry room was closed and I had no other clothes to wear. I hung my wet clothes on our cabin porch, wrapped my sheet around me, toga-style, and joined the others at the campfire.