Date: 2010-04-08
From: Spring Mtn Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Today was a very strange day. As I peered out of the tent that morning I had noticed some clouds roll in, but didn't think much of it except that it would be nice to have some cooler weather. The bugs were still out full force and first thing in the morning I wiped my face with a disposable OFF towel and the bugs then proceeded to land on my eyelashes and eveywhere else I had missed a spot, they were miserable and it was so early in the morning! The night had been warm, I slept comfortable in a tank top and hiking pants with my sleeping bag unzipped. I got out around 8:30 and just before I hit Allen Gap the rain hit. At first it felt very nice and refreshing, I was still in a tank top and comfortable soaking wet but the temperature was starting to cool off so I reached in my pack and put on my raincoat that happened to be buried pretty deep, I also had a quick snack while I was at it. I had just gotten done telling Yianie the night before that although I have met some "different" people on the trail, I had yet to see any weirdos, until today. By this time the temperature had dropped quite a bit and it was still raining when I look behind me to see a guy, shirtless, packless, and with sandals on. He approached me quickly and asked if I had seen his pack, He mentioned something about hiking down to the hostel (several miles back on the trail) to take a shower when it had started raining. I told him sorry, didn't see a pack and he continued past me to look for it, but I was wondering why you would take a shower when it started raining? Anyways, to make things stranger about another mile up the trail I see him not for in the distance completely naked! I made a lot of subtle noise hoping he would notice me and put on his shorts which were now laying in the middle of the trail. He must have noticed me eventually because he slowly grabbed his shorts and put them back on and when I passed him he once again asked me if I had seen his pack and that he had left it between this spot and the hostel, I said no once again and moved on quickly. It was very strange. It seemed to take forever to get to the next shelter for lunch and Kelly and I were both soaking wet and miserable, the day was not too unlike the first day in the Smokies where I had hiker up to Mollie's Ridge Shelter. I discovered Kelly isn't too fond of the rain and becomes an ornery little beast when wet. She would barely listen to me all day (which is quite unusual for her) and whenever I would stop to tie a shoe or fix something she would try to find the driest spot around. Neither of us like the rain but we won't get anywhere avoiding it. It was such a bummer the day was so nasty because we hit a ridgeline trail that I am sure is beautiful on a sunny day. Today all I could see was fog and the exposed ridgeline made the wind and rain feel much worse. We finally reached the shelter where we were staying the night and I was soaking wet. There were five guys at the shelter already and three dogs not including mine! Four of the guys were staying in the shelter and Molasses was tenting with his pooch "Trash Man". It was a horrible night, the men were very vulgar and up late. They had made attempts at keeping a fire going and without any dry wood around put the sit log in the fire thinking it might actually catch. They tossed all their trash in the fire including things that obviously wouldn't burn, and one of their dogs was very ill behaved. Kelly wasn't to fond of their dog tonight, she was a very grumpy girl and just wanted a dry place to sleep in peace which neither of us got.