Date: 2012-12-17
From: Tray Mountain Shelter 

To: Whitney Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

(In which I take a 1.2 mile side trail to a shelter and Dante hikes ahead to Neel Gap) -Currently lying in my sleeping bag after dark. No mice this time.-This morning was supposed to be slow and easy, but while going over the guide book and eating my pop tarts I realized that I made a mistake. I forgot to look at the shelter information for later in the day. The shelter we were planning to stay at tonight was quite a ways off of the trail. When I swore under my breath, Dante asked what the problem was. I made him guess how far off trail the shelter was. He said: "point two?" Keep trying. "Point four?" Keep going. Sounding a little in pain now he said "Point six?". Nah man... one point two. "One point two?!?!" They might as well have put the thing on the moon. I've never gone more than 0.3 off trail for just about anything, and this made the destination shelter almost out of the question. We schemed a little bit and decided that 15 miles was too short a day (to the mid-day shelter) and 27 miles to the hostel in Neel Gap just sounded painful - especially because of our slow morning and the steady cold rain that was falling. The plan was to hike to the mid-day shelter and see how we felt.After hiking most of the day in a cold drizzle I decided that pulling a 27 mile day wasn't going to happen. Yeah, the shelter is 1.2 off trail, but I'd rather do that than night hike to a hostel where my clothes will still be wet in the morning but it'll cost me $17. Dante didn't want anything to do with the 1.2 mile detour and decided mid-day that he'd gun for the hostel. Ultimately it doesn't affect how far either of us go. We both need to resupply at the hostel store, which doesn't open up until 9 am tomorrow. I'll be up early and be at the store almost exactly at 9, while Dante should be able to sleep in. I realized today that I have two more nights left on this hike, and I intend to spend them on the trail. Ultimately the side trail wasn't bad, and I'm happy to be here rather than in a hostel. For the first time on this trip I just sat in the shelter by myself and watched the rain fall. Gorgeous.Since I'm running out of time on trail, I'll make that list of things that I've learned after hiking the trail. Let's assume I'll finish... and this is far from comprehensive.1) Thru-hikers don't stink, they wreak with a stench that can curl toes. There's some kind of embedded funk that builds up over time that can't be washed away in a single showering.2) Mice, chipmunks and squirrels are the Devil.3) Bring more water protection than you think you need: dry bags, trash compactor bag in your pack, pack cover, etc. You'll need it.4) The shrinking bladder thing is partly true. In part, you drink more water than you ever have, so you pee more. In part, you go more often than you ever have, so it's tougher to hold over long periods of time. 5) Your feet swell over the first month enough that wearing a shoe that's 1.5 size bigger than normal is common. If I were to do things again, I'd start with a shoe that was a full size bigger than my normal shoe size. 6) Take time to plan your food in the 100 mile wilderness. Lots of time. 7) Keeping a daily journal is a pain in the a##, but worth it. The days blur together out here.8) Verizon. Enough said.9) AWOL's guide (The AT Guide) isn't perfect, but it's far superior to the Data Book (ATC issue). AWOL's isn't a necessity, but neither are socks and shoes. They just make life on the trail a little easier.10) Don't plan a quick stop in Erwin, TN. You'll just be disappointed.Today's post was brought to you by rainy days on the Appalachian Trail, because after today I wont have another one for quite some time.