Date: 2015-05-13
From: Campsite past Rice Field Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 27.3
Weather: clear sky

LIGHTNING RED PANDA STRIKES AGAIN. 77 MILES IN 3 DAYS.I am actually not proud of this. It can't be good for me. It is a miracle that my feer aren't hamburger, especially after all the rocks I had to scramble over this afternoon.Today was long but the trail was gorgeous all day. Not too hard, either, for the most part, except the rocky ending and maybe two hills. I feel like I have been falling back in love with the trail lately. Maybe I needed the time with mom and Dan even more than I thought. I always need a little more perspective.I forgot/lost my stupid tent footprint this morning. I was packing up Bertha when I heard "Red Panda?"It was Tinkerbell, poking her head out of her sleeping bag in a nearby tent. She had arrived at the campsite at 11:00 last night.I know it was because I was chatting with her and distractedly packing that I lost the footprint. I remember going to leave, and wondering where I had put it. I didn't see it on the ground or anywhere near where I had tented, so I assumed it was in Bertha. STUPID ASSUMPTION. UGH. MY IDIOCY STRIKES AGAIN. Oh well. Maybe Tinkerbell noticed it and picked it up. It could make its way back to me eventually, like my water bottle.UPDATE: I FOUND IT. It slipped between fat Bertha's walls and the garbage bag liner I use to keep everything dry. Maybe I am not as dumb as I thought. Maybe.I started out exhausted, because all the campsite late arrivals throughout the night kept waking me up. It had taken me forever to fall asleep because I was too hot, the. I woke up at 4 a.m. freezing my chubby butt off, and had to wrestle into my base layers inside my sleeping bag. I took the opportunity to order that fleece liner and those toe socks at 4 a.m. since I couldn't sleep anyway, and actually miraculously had phone service.So I have both the liner and a compression sack from Sea to Summit coming. I am happy to support them since their customer service has been awesome. I also just like being warm. And dry.I stopped at Pine Swamp Branch Shelter for a solitary lunch. It was sunny and breezy and beautiful. I chowed down on peanut butter, picked the M&Ms out of my trail mix, and guzzled EmergenC and raspberry lemonade. It was like paradise. I was so happy.Then I felt like dying on the climb up to Balley Gap Shelter. But I saw a deer 0.2 miles from the shelter (right by a side trail to water), which made me smile. I stamped the register and saw that Chris had signed it earlier. He is way ahead of me.There is a tent nearby this shelter, but no one else around. I HAVE THE WHOLE THING TO MYSELF. I AM QUEEN OF THE SHELTER. I am also too lazy to hang a bear bag so hopefully I don't become a midnight snack. Totally worth it to be able to roll around the entire shelter as much as I want.I am loving the peace and quiet today. The weather was gorgeous and I feel super lucky to be on the AT with my meatball toes and blister heels.Tomorrow will bring a lot of big uphills, starting first thing in the morning. Oh, joy!I am thankful my feet aren't hamburger. And for the chocolate chip cookie dough Luna bar Dan bought me at Food City in Damascus. I am so sick of trail food, but it was so good. I still crave pizza but after this weekend also want strawberries and yogurt and watermelon.I am thankful also for peace and quiet and nature. I have not had enough of that on the AT. I am sure more will come. Time to massage my toes and get some sleep! Another miracle is that I am somehow still awake.