Date: 2018-05-29
From: Dismal Falls

To: Docs Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I woke up a little late from the bear bag hanging adventure last night. I could hear Dismal falls in the distance. The burrito I ate yesterday wanted to come out right away. I hurried to dig a cathole and made it just in time. I went to retrieve my bear bag and when pulling the paracord over the branch a knot formed around the high branch. It happened by luck and was definitely stuck. Pulling as hard as I could to break the branch did not work. I left the rope there while I made breakfast. It was future Jason's problem. I made oatmeal for breakfast with coffee. Hikers passed by to check out Dismal falls as I hung out. I packed my pack then went to deal with the paracord in the tree. Pulling the rope around the another tree I pulled the troubled branch halfway down and cut my losses. Hopefully 40 feet of cord will be good enough for other bear hangs. I hung out by Dismal falls catching up on my journal until noon. Snail Trainer appeared to check out the falls. I made my way back to the trail.The trail was still a muddy mess all the way to Wapiti shelter 7 miles away. There were places where the mud was so wide that you had to walk through it feeling the mud suck your feet in. I gave up on walking around it and just walked through it since I could just wash my feet in streams. I caught up to lost and found on the trail. I found out she was from Japan. We hiked together for about 2 hours talking about Japanese culture, food, anime, and work. She used to be a product manual editor but wanted to become a nature guide in Japan. There were many exams she had to take to become one. She also needed to be out in nature for 50 days, but will definitely pass that thru hiking the AT. We talked about Japanese food like okonomiyaki and sushi. Also how the Ghibli movies animated food so well that it made you hungry just watching it. She talked about working long hours in Japan and was worried about finding a job when she gets back. Age discrimination is a huge thing there where it's easier to get a job if you're under 35. Lost and found was approaching 40. I hope she can get that nature guide job when she goes back to Japan. We stopped for a quick break by the shelter. Lost and found headed out and I wouldn't see her again until the next shelter.  From Wapiti shelter it was a 1400 foot climb up the mountain. Luckily the mud mess disappeared but then there wasn't any water until the next shelter 10 miles away. The climb got my heart rate up but it wasn't as long as other climbs. At the top I was back in low hanging clouds. The air was wet and dense. Even though it wasn't raining everything was wet. This area felt like a rain forest. In 5 miles, the forest floor vegetation stopped and the ground was charred black from fire. For 2 miles the area was burned up. It was only the forest floor though. The tall trees were fine and only their trunks got blackened. New vegetation was pushing up in some areas. It was mostly ferns taking over the area. There was also a small stream that wasn't on the map. I refilled my water and pushed on. I came to the access road for Woods Hole but pushed of on since I stayed there a day earlier. It continued to be wet everywhere until Docs Knob shelter.  The shelter itself slept 8 but also had a huge front deck for lounging. Lost and found was there finishing her dinner. I managed to find a campsite behind the shelter. My bear hang was much more successful this time with an easy limb to throw the paracord over. I made beef stroganoff for dinner and hung out on the deck for a bit. Snail Trainer said that he hiked the PCT and hadn't seen anything this wet as he saw on the AT. He mentioned that he hiked in a dry season though. It quickly got dark and I made my way to the tent. The fog reflected back the light from my headlamp and I could only see 5 feet ahead. I got a lost for a minute trying to find my tent.  Tonight the wind is blowing through the treetops. The leaves are catching moisture from the air and dropping water onto my tent. It's damp in my tent but warm.