Date: 2010-04-12
From: Rich Mountain Fire Tower

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 37Ho hum, another gorgeous sunrise. Seriously though, those never get boring, especially when you can dive right back into your sleeping bag afterwards. Breakfast was an iced honeybun and peanut butter and jelly bagel with a chocolate Granola bar for dessert. And then it was just a mere 2.8 mile walk to the privy at the next shelter.The big goal for today was to get to Allen gap around lunch time because there was supposed to be a dailyu hiker feed provided by a guy name Hercules. I passed that rumor on to 5 other people. And all of them wanted to lynch me when we got there and found just another empty road crossing. I was bummed, but if there's one thing the AT teaches you whether its trail magic or great views its this - If its not there, its not there, just getback to your job of walking to the next great view or potential trail magic. Trail magic is always what you think it is. Today mine was a nice log lying parallel to the high side of the trail. I'd been walking on the sunny, windless side of the trail for a while. I was hot and tired and looking for a place in the shade with a breeze and a spot to sit not right on the trail. Then I came around a bend and there was a log, shade and a breeze and a dog barking in the distance. I tossed my pack to the backside of the log and it made a perfect trail bed. I lay down across it and the length of the log, put in my ear buds and played some music to drown out the dog. It was very pleasant. When I woke up an hour later I had no idea if anyone had passed me while I lay there, but the dog was still barking. The last two miles to the shelter went by pretty quick after that.Someone asked me about my backpack in my guestbook and I forgot to answer that. I use a Golite Jam (large) and a Ribz front pack. I didn't pick the pack, it was one of many I have won at the Trail Days festival inDamascus, VA. Its not made for big loads. I need to keep the weight in it under 25 pounds or it starts to feel overloaded. So I also use a front pack with 6 or 7 pounds in it. I really like this system but am worried it may be too hot in the summer. We shall see. The front pack helps me keep my balance so that I rarely fall out here, plus I keep everything I need during the day in it so I don't open my pack until I get to camp at night. There is nothing breakable in my pack and its nice and round so it makes a great chair during rest stops. I'll try to remember to take a pic of it today.I also want to tell you about Tintin. He is an interesting dude from England who has spent the last 3 years on interesting adventures around the world. He did a bicycle tour through Asia and 6 months in South America on an expedition with kids in the backcountry. And now he's hiking the AT. He also has a journal on Trailjournals under the name tintin. He is being much more forthcoming about the people out here than I am so if you want to read the dirt on people read his journal. I am looking forward to reading it myself. I will save these last few days that I have been hiking with him until I reach a period where I may want to quit the trail. Then I will read what he says about me so I can get a good dose of righteous indignation up and chase him down to tell him what's what . That will keep me going.OK its late again, the fire is just coals and everyone else have gone to their tents and I have the shelter to myself. I have calledhome and talked to Brianna and Trish and I am ready to sleep.Goodnight and sweetdreams to everyone out there not living the Napping on a Log Dream.