Date: 2004-04-13
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: light rain

It looks like the Appalachian Trail weather goddess has decided to re-adjust our thinking as to what constitutes a wet day. A thunderstorm started up at midnight and it has rained like crazy all night. I lay in bed until 8:00 am, a record late morning for me but I was still the first one up. I had enough ambition to put moleskin and tape on yesterday's sore spots, fetch my food bag from the bear cables outside and cook outmeal before retreating to my sleeping bag. The rain had moderated, but now at 9:00 am the sky darkened over and it started pouring again.If it eases before 10:00 there would still be time to get to Cosby Knob Shelter as I had planned. That makes 10 miles to the hostel outside the park, my next resupply. But if this keeps up it is no weather for going over Guyot Mountain at 6,200 feet.Even at noon there is time to make for the nearest shelter, Tri-Corner Knob. That will get in 5.5 miles. I have food to stay at both shelters or take today off and go to Crosby tomorrow. I will probably go at least to Tri-Corner; that gives me the most options with the food I have left.I left at 10:30. At first the clouds started to break and in half an hour I stop to take off my Goretex top and bottom. I can finally see the distant ridges. Vaper rises from the trees exactly like the smoke from a forest fire I saw at Lake Tahoe last year. Larger clouds rise from the rivers far below. Instead of from the ridgetops, the roaring I hear now comes from below, water rushing in mountain streams and rivers. Then I feel a chill gust on my back. I looked over my shoulder and saw a towering white cloud bearing down on me. Hastily I stop and put on my goretex top, then rush on. I slip on a log waterbar and go down, wrenching my left shoulder before my poles fly free. I sit a moment and rub it carefully, checking the damage, then get up and rush on. Eighth inch hail starts falling from the sky as I get closer to the Tri-Corner shelter.I scramble gratefully into the shelter expecting to stay the night. The weather is turning bad and I should dry off and let my hurts heal. It is also 2:00 pm, rather late to start the 7.7 mile leg to Cosby Knob shelter. Zipcode, Mojo, Hitch, Andrew and Zipdrive from last night are already there, having passed me on the Trail, as well as someone new. They say they are going on after some lunch. Zipdrive and the new hiker leave and shortly after that the hail increases and is joined by a downpour of rain. Two cents arives looking bedraggled from the wet. It is looking like we will all be stuck here for the night. I start getting organized to spend the night. Andrew says "Don't worry Mouse, we won't let anyone know you had a late start and took a short day."Then during a lull in the rain a man and three boys arrive from the north. "How is the trail north of here?" someone asks."An ascent right out of here, then the rest is like an avenue all the way to the Pidgeon River."Galvanized by that report I quickly repack my pack, don my Goretex coat and grab my poles."Mouse, what came over you?" Two Cents asks, awed by my sudden action after all my talk of staying. "I've lost my mind" I reply and head for Crosby Knob.