Date: 2003-07-11
From: Seely Woodworth Shelter

To: Dutch Haus B&B
Miles today: 3.8

start Seely Woodworth Shelterdestination DutchHaus Bed and BreakfastAfter a night of wind and rain, the weather finally calmed down just before dawn. Everything was dampand a mist hung over everything. One thing I have finally figured out. Just because sunrise is at 6:00am does not mean that you can actually see the sun, even if the sky is clear. We waited around for the weather to clear up some before we hiked out. It made for a casual breakfast and time to visit with the other hikers who had come in late last night. Our plan to make the free lunch offered by the DutchHaus fell through. The fourth of July was the last day to get the free lunch. Since we had left later than planned, we knew there was no way we could make it to the Tye River to meet the shuttle offered by the DutchHaus, so we opted to hike down to the town and go ahead and get a room. It made for a really short day of hiking, but Mudbut and I had really strong feelings about getting off the rail when we did. Neither of us could explain why we felt the way we did, but we have learned to trust our feelings. We hiked down to the fish hatchery where we were supposed to be able to call for a ride. Funny thing was, the fish hatchery had a sign on the fence that it was closed to visitors. We finally found an employee who told us that due to budget cuts, visitors were not allowed. That really aggravated me, since I had convinced Mudbut to come off the trail and do a tour of the hatchery. I asked him if we could use the phone to call for a ride. He said no one was allowed to use the phone, but we could walk down to the store and call. It was a mile away. I looked him square in the eye and said, "Well, will you call for us?" He hesitated a minute, then agreed to call the bed and breakfast for a ride. It was a few short minutes before Lois Arnold came and picked us up. She made a stop at the local country store and we ladeled big bowls of homemade chili into cups to eat for lunch. I brought a half gallon of milk to drink over the next two days.It was heaven. Her home is a log cabin, beautifully decorated in country style, and comfortable. She showed us to the hiker room she keep available for hikers. It had a set of bunk beds in it, a couple of chairs, tv, vcr computor and a solid wall of windows. There was a great breeze blowing bringing the outdoors inside and setting us right at home. We showered and put on terry cloth bathrobes, while our clothes were being washed. I hung them out on the clothesline, along with our tents to dry. It seemed so odd to have all afternoon and nothing to do but sit around. I had no trouble finding a current issue of Backpacker Magazine and a rocking chair that overlooked the backyard with it's assortment of bird feeders. Before long, the magazine was forgotten as I watched a host of yellow finches and indigo buntings flutter around the feeders. The resident cat tried her best to keep the yard clear of birds, but they were no match for her. Dinner was a marvelous affair, fresh tomato pesto over pente pasta, baked chicken, fresh salad and biscuits. Fresh spice cake with cream cheese icing finished us off. We sat in our room and watched the movie Monsters Inc. Our room faced the west, and it was not long before the full moon flooded our room with light. We are looking forward to slack packing tomorrow. Thus avoiding another killer decent with a full pack. total miles 3.8