Date: 2010-05-31
From: Maupin Field Shelter 

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter 
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 85 My new body is holding up well, but I fear I was overzealous with the river mud. I apologize for the crawfish infestation I left in the shelter. At least they taste better than mice. I was forced to lie around in the shelter longer than usual this morning trying to entice them back into their river mud home. Fortunately, and this had nothing to do with my lazing around, I had a book that needed to be read. Amazingly, the last of the little critters crawled back into my body just as I turned the last page of my book. I left the book in the library (otherwise known as the shelter), but since no one had made any book returns to this branch I left without a replacement book. I don't know if this violates the Leave No Trace rules, but many thruhikers leave their completed books in the shelters and pick up their next book from the same place. Not all shelters have books in them and the ones that do usually only have 1 or 2. Some folks will leave just the chapters they've read, and then the people behind them who choose to read those chapters will have to go to every shelter looking for the next installment. The shelter registers often have references to where can the next installment be found or where it will be left. The registers are amazing things. Full of art, some good some bad, humorous entries, again some funnier than others, information on where people are or where they are going. You find out about who has left the Trail, who was injured in a fall, who was struck by lightning, who saw a snake or bear, about upcoming trail magic or don't miss trail attractions. Whether they sign it or not, every thruhiker will read through the register. Sometimes it may be the only reason for stopping at the shelter. Its like a daily Trail newspaper that keeps everyone up to date. But I digress. Back to the ghost story.Once again, as soon as I started hiking the strength left my body and the slight hill I was on was kicking my ass. Perhaps I should have used stouter sticks when creating this new body, but you try crafting a body using nothing but two wispy hands. I also broke out in a cold sweat even though it was well shaded and breezy and still cool temps. More and more I am beginning to think I have an actual virus rather than simple hikeitus (hiking, sick of). It is good that today doesn't have any big climbs. It was also nice that someone left a cooler full of cold drinks 2 miles later at a crossing of the blue ridge parkway. Very nice. That's always a welcome sight. I know that forever more, if I am ever driving anywhere near long distance trails I will always have a cooler with cold drinks with me to give to any hikers I see. Its such a small thing to give, but it means so much to a hiker. The next 4 miles went by uneventfully. I was tired and wanted nothing but for that days hike to be over. Then I came up a hill towards the sound of traffic and discovered a heavenly sight - Jerry, KingCrawler and Veto sitting on lawn chairs in front of a smoking BBQ grill, a table full of goodies, several coolers and two awesome Trail angels named Joe and Sarah. I ate 2 hamburgers a hotdog several bags of chips and drank two rootbeers and they were still pushing food my way. The generosity of people out here still amazes me. I sat for a while and chatted with them before reluctantly moving on. As I was leaving Sarah offered me a couple beers to take to the shelter with me. Even with hikeitus, I will still take that offer.5 pounds heavier in my stomach and 1 1/2 pounds heavier in my pack I continued onward. I was entering the area around Wintergreen Ski Resort. It was much hotter and less snowier than the last time I was here many years ago. The trail soon began climbing up to Humpback Rocks. Normally this would have been a gentle climb but it hit me like a back alley loan collector. I was soon doubled over, sucking hard for air and stumbling like I was punch drunk. When the trail came to this junkpile of rocks and boulders otherwise known as "a view" I didn't hesitate to take the trail around it. My only thoughts were of getting to the shelter and collapsing (praying that it would happen in that order). I staggered, soaked in sweat, and mentally pushed and pulled my way over the ridge and started downhill. The way grew easier in a gravity assisted zombie walk sort of way. Eventually, and the eventual part was beginning to feel very non-existent to me, I began to here a creek lower down which grew louder like a small falls. The shelter was on a creek with a falls and I began to see light at the end of the tunnel. At some point I heard a snorting sound and the very loud crack of a branch. Possibly my first encounter with a bear? Or just a hiker I couldn't see. I didn't care. At this point I couldn't tell the difference between a bear and a bush. Finally I arrived at the creek and looked up and saw the shelter. Home. Now I could rest.This was a very nice shelter with a picnic table under an over hang and a loft for a few more hikers. My friend Creek Dancer is part of the trail club that maintains it - The Old Dominion trail club (or something like that). Hey Creek, the privy is only a foot away from overflowing, you better get a shovel and get up here. I didn't get much sleep. The bugs were bad and hikers kept coming in until 11 pm. Someone even started a fire at 1 am which was nice to drive the bugs away for a little while. The kicker though was that in the night I grew congested and my throat became swollen. So now I was assured that this was some sort of virus. Town! I needed to get into town and into a bed away from others before I become the pariah spreading my germs up and down the trail like the viral form of shelter register news.And what is bad is that today was Thin Mints hiker holloween day and I was to wasted to barely walk much less hike in costume. I hope she will accept my sticks and stones and mud man body to be the equivalent. Good night and sweet dreams to all of you out there not living the Zombie Walking, Trail Magic Eating Dream.