Date: 2004-04-20
From: Wind Rock Campsite

To: Sarven Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 17.3

Super Dave of ¢02, ¢03 has to be the AT man of the week, quite possibly even the month. After a long tough uphill climb I thought I saw a garbage bag in a tree. Could it be trail magic? Or is it just another one of my hallucinations? I walked further and saw 2 coolers! Soda, chocolate bars and water. Quite delightful. It brightened my day considerably.This morning was some beautiful, easy hiking. All good things must come to an end because I ended up doing a grueling uphill section in the heat of the day. I got to the shelter at about 1:00 or so and felt like I was going to die. So I laid down in the cool shade and did what any thru-hiker would do: took a nap. I awoke at 3:00 feeling much better and off I went to do 7 more miles for the day.This happiness was somewhat short lived because it started to rain almost immediately. The rain actually felt nice because it was so hot but it started to not be so enjoyable when I got to the top of the exposed ridgeline. The wind picked up, driving little bullets of rain at my face, arms and legs, which wasn¢t pleasant. Then, off in the distance I heard thunder and saw brief flashes of light. I thought to myself that this ridgeline probably isn¢t the best place to be in a storm so I cruised into power-hiking mode and was quickly at the shelter.This new shelter is amazing! Beautiful! The nicest on the trail so far, it seems a shame that I¢ve no one to share it with. It is 0.3 miles off the trail and that seems to be the only downfall. Nearby, there are some remains of an old homestead; one house is still in quite good condition. It is hard to believe that people could live up here! Having to forage or hunt to live. Carrying 5 days worth of food that I buy at the supermarket is hard enough.Today I passed an old house that everyone had deemed the Blair Witch project because it is a little spooky. Then on the ridge, on the way to the shelter, there were these mounds of rocks that looked like burial sites. There's also some rumors that the shelter is haunted. The rain and mist as well as the dead animal skull at the old homestead make it seem like it could be true. My imagination is starting to get the best of me...maybe I'll have to sleep with one eye open.Deja Vous, Kung Fu and the Lost Boys have all gone on to the next shelter but I have stayed to keep my body happy. My general rule is to hike between 16-20 miles everyday, unless going into or coming out of a town. This seems to be the point where I feel tired but not exhausted and am able to recover by the next morning. My hip feels great and no problems at all with my knees or feet. The most troublesome thing is a rash I have on my shoulders where my pack straps rest. This I can just suck up and deal with.I see lots of entries in the shelters about people having feet and knee problems. But then they keep doing big miles! Like walking 20 miles for 3 days in a row is going to make a sore knee feel better! Basic psychology should tell you that doing the same over and over with bad results is an ineffective way to live. If I ever become a mileage Nazi tell me to stop.JB ¢ ¢Tell It Like It