Date: 2010-10-13
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: light rain

I set my alarm for 6:30 this morning but ended up staying in my sleeping bag until about 7 due to the darkness and continued drizzle. It had been raining off and on from about 2:30 this morning, but I slept pretty well and stayed dry inside the shelter. Today was forecasted to be overcast with a 20% chance of rain so left the shelter around 8 with jacket and pack cover in place. The rain had made parts of the trail slippery so it was slower going in those areas. I was amazed by how much bright color the woods had to offer even on such a wet and overcast day. By 10 am the sun was out and the jacket and pack cover were long gone. Lack of water has been a popular topic on the trail and last night's shelter was no exception. Luckily I came into camp prepared with 3 liters. This gave me plenty enough to cook supper, make a breakfast shake and still drink a little on the trail. I tend to drink quite a bit while hiking so I stopped twice to filter water throughout the day. My "shankle" (shin ankle area) was killing me today so I pounded the ibuprofene and kept moving. Today would be a big mileage day if I was going to make it to partnership. I saw very few dayhikers today. I met a couple of SOBO thruhikers including "GoFish" who had flip flopped the trail and was headed to Springer. With about 7 miles left on the day, I passed an older man and woman both headed north like me but at a much slower pace. I spoke to them briefly, found out they were from Clarksville and asked if they needed anything. They said they were doing fine, we chatted about water sources and then I was on my way. As I left them, I noticed they were both bleeding from the nose and mouth area. I could not stop thinking about them for the remainder of my hike. Should I have asked more questions? Were they headed to the same place I was? I finally made it to the shelter to find 3 other section hikers (Bill,Flipper & Speedo) already setup. They had also been hiking north bound so we chatted about sights and people we'd met along the way. They asked about the older couple (not actually a couple by the way) who turned out to be "Dragonfly" and "Bionic Bob". It turns out that all of these hikers unknowingly had planned to stay at Trimpi Shelter last night but Ms Sue (Dragonfly) fell right before getting to the shelter and was bleeding pretty badly when she arrived around 5pm. Bill volunteered to walk with them to a road and call for help. After doing so, Ms Sue was stitched up at the local ER, stayed in a motel overnight and was back on the trail this morning. The ironic part is that shortly after resuming their hike, Bob fell and it happened within 50 feet of where Sue had fallen the night before. I know all of this because the 2 of them made it to partnership just before dark. They had done 14.5 mile since 10 am. That's pretty impressive to be 75 & 77 years old. What a pair! Partnership is an impressive shelter. It has two floors, a privy and "hot" shower. You can also order pizza and have it delivered, which I promptly did after arriving. I ate an entire large pizza and drank a half gallon of sweet tea! Sooo tasty. The conversation tonight has been great. We've talked about gear, the trail and home life mostly. Ms Sue and Bob have provided the entertainment since arriving though. Tomorrow will be a fairly short day. 11 miles down to I-81 where I'll meet Ashton for another resupply and chance to sleep in a real bed. Hopefully I'll be back on the trail by Friday if the "shankle" quiets down. Thanks again for all of your prayers, thoughts and encouraging words. They mean a lot. -Josh