Date: 2004-06-30
From: Campsite near Dickey Ridge Trail

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Another short day. We were going to do another six to the next shelter, but we got to this shelter and it was deserted and one of the nicest on the trail I¢ve seen. So we decided to stop.Got a late start again this morning and took it slow today, crossed out of the park and immediately the terrain changed. It¢s hard to describe how different everything feels inside a national park. The greenery seems more lush, the trees older and huge, the earth richer, the trail better built. Outside of the park, everything seems dusty and faded somehow. Even the ground feels tired. After a few days you get used to it again, just wandering through America¢s back country instead of through a truly protected wilderness. The minute we crossed out of the park the trail dove straight down and the ridge turned rocky. Even though we don¢t go over 2,000 feet again until Pennsylvania, there were still climbs today.We also passed by the National Zoo, which was cool, even though we didn¢t see any animals. We walked by the fence for several miles and saw the bamboo they were growing for the panda. Evidently, the National Zoo is renowned for its work with all sorts of rare and endangered species.The bugs are starting to be really bad. Not necessarily even the biting ones, but all afternoon as I walked they were swarming around my face, landing in my eyes and ears, or trying to. It doesn¢t really make walking any more difficult, just less enjoyable. It¢s impossible to enjoy nature or even see nature when you¢re battling a horde of insects. And it¢s not like you can put Deet in your eyes.To make matters worse, my backpack is acting up. There¢s a rod that supports the suspension, and it¢s poked out of the bottom of the pack and has now ripped a hole in my hiking shirt and is digging into my side. The problem also destroys any balance in the suspension, so my back is killing me again. And this is my third pack. I would say, hands down, gear has been the hardest thing about this trip. I¢ve gone through three pairs of shoes and three backpacks. I think my problem is that I hate gear. I want stuff I don¢t have to think about and don¢t have to replace that doesn¢t cause me problems. Gear seems antithetical to the purpose of the trail, too. People use it as a way to define themselves, to protect themselves from the outdoors and from other people. The last thing we should be thinking about as we walk is how much our backpack weighs. I just want someone to throw a backpack on my back and let me walk. The problem is, the less I want to know about this stuff, the less I know how to fix problems with my gear. After 900 miles, I still can¢t figure out how to adjust my pack correctly. It just makes me feel completely inept.So basically, coming into this exquisite shelter felt heavenly today. It was made out of an old house, and it¢s in a wooded glade, with grass and day lilies surrounding it. There are benches on the front porch and a shower (!!!) off to the side with fresh spring water. There¢s also a fire pit with a grate and a woodshed, and since we¢re running very low on fuel we decided to start a fire and cook over that. I showered (it was very cold) and went to sit by the fire and we had an extremely pleasant evening. I wish I could live here. County called the place magical. It does have spectacular positive and rejuvenating energy. A section hiker showed up right at dark, but he pitched a tarp so we had the whole shelter to ourselves. Wonderful. What an end to a day.