Date: 2008-06-04
From: Marble Springs

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: few clouds

Thought I saw lightning at 5:00 am even before the sunrise. Since the rain had stopped sometime during the night my tent was mostly dry. I wanted to get up and pack it before it really rained. Had a cold breakfast and I was on the trail by 7:00. This was going to a very hard day elevation-wise. The first seven miles weren¢t too bad. Rhododendron blooms were like ballerina dancers, toe dancing in pink tutus across the trail. In places there were whole troops of dancers. The trail was a little more open. From one overlook I was looking at clouds below me with vaguely visible mountains in the distance. By 9:00 it was plenty hot, likely in the 90s, and it felt like 100% water vapor. The birds were singing, ferns spread in large patches all along the trail. It felt like I was in the Amazon rather than Virginia. By the first shelter, Matt Creek, I'd caught up with Fizz, Sunshine, Hoot and Opop. Everyone was talking of going into Glasgow for resupply. We re-grouped at the end of a hiker bridge 325 feet long (the longest on the AT). Just as Fizz and I were crossing the James River, a very wide river, a train was crossing on it's own bridge. It was pulling a long line of coal filled cars. None of us could get cell phone coverage. In order for me to go to Glasgow, I would have needed to change my reservation at the Dutch Haus. Decided to go on. It was really tempting because it was so hot. The rest ended up hitching. It wasn't long before I was climbing up to John Hollow Shelter. Had my peanut butter and cracker lunch. Debated staying, but it was only 12:30. I thought I could make the 8.7 miles. About halfway up the 1500 foot unnamed mountain I thought I might faint from the heat. Got up to Rocky Row Trail and decided I could accomplish two things... dry out my tent and take a nap. Took five minutes to set up the tent and I power napped for thirty minutes. By then it was 3:15 and I have 6.7 miles to go. There was a good breeze so that helped evaporate the constant sweating. I did have enough water. Just found out I should be drinking about six quarts a day! One more climb to go. Right at the top of the mountain, there was a grave stone dedicated to Ottie Cline Powell. He lived to be five years and a month in 1890. The story was that he went in the woods to get wood for his school during a storm and became lost. He ended up dying on the top of the mountain. The monument is placed where they found his body. I was almost in tears when I read the inscription. The area here and around the Punchbowl Shelter is said to be haunted. To me the whole story seems strangely plausible, if haunting is plausible. I made it to Punchbowl Shelter by 7:00. It may get it's name from the pond next to the shelter. Didn't feel strange, but peaceful. There were hundreds of frogs that lived near the pond even up in the trees. There was a chorus from high sopranos of the peepers to the low bass of the bull frogs. When I arrived, there were two other woman...Phyllis and Cash both section hikers. It was pleasant talking about our travels. As I was going to sleep, the frog chorus was in full volume. There was also an owl and a cuckoo lending their voices. Later on it became very quiet, another nice way to end the day. Fly right,Ravon