Date: 2006-04-11
From: ground hog shelter

To: camp all alone
Miles today: 22.0

Trail magic from "apple" 3 miles into the day, hot coco, donuts and a grape soda for the trail (i had it at lunch and it was the best!) He drives from texas and sets up camp for 2 weeks to do this. trail angels are amazing.I saw slick on and off for the morning, then we stopped on this huge grassy hill for lunch. It is one of many balds we cross and was called max patch. We were soon joined by ponch, mo, suncrow, and sunshine day dream. The views were great in every direction. The hiking after that felt easy and i loved it! Small spring flowers everywhere and the sound of rushing water. I saw a woodpecker and felt i could walk until dark. I met up with cohiba and otter at 430 i had hiked 14.5 and the next shelter was 8 more miles. i didn't think i could make it all the way. A mile or so later i stopped for water, then felt my feet took off my boots to find some mighty blisters! so i had to camp soon, got into my crocs and hiked a couple of miles to find a flat spot. First time i was ever alone for this part of my day. I fixed my tent mcgeiver style (sp?) with some duct tape yahoo. i did ok, and i feel good. i hear a wiperwhil making some small talk and ate dinner while the sky turned pink, and the almost full moon rose. I realized i am proud of myself, this might be one of the most challenging things i have ever done! it will be a quick 4 miles into hot springs tomorrow!another entry from later that night.....320am from my tentI was dreaming that i was hiking the next day, up this big hill with really loose dirt, and as i climbed up it would chunk off and fall below me. I thought wow i am really glad i stopped hiking and saved this for today, its hard. then i started to fall but knew it was soft and i would be ok. i wondered how i would make it up that hill, suddenly i wake up due to a noise, like a grunting loud breathing noice and loud russling leaves! Was it my dream? or did it really happen, i lay in my tent wondering.... then i hear it again, ok it was real! Is is a bear, i start to go over the rules, i hung all my smellables, i cooked away from my tent, but far enough away? can he smell me? do i smell tasty? I think of taylor,,, he said never startle a bear let him know you are there, he would hit his hiking poles togeher, i bring them into my tent i was glad i put them close before bed, and really glad i had my tent up and didn't sleep under the stars like i thought. I hear it again oh my! now i am shaking, no i will not die this way! its a bird, there must be some owl that sounds like that right? It will be ok, taylor woke up on the trail with a bear in his face and he didn't get eaten. jason and eric were kayaking in alsaka with grizzly bears and they were ok. And when i was hiking in the olympics i saw bears all the time and they never came near us, i have only seen one bear out here in almost a month. I can hear the whipporwhil again. This is the 1st night i have not been in the same place as 42. I is now 340 my light is on so i can write and i think my tent must look like a big yellow... oh i don't know something big that this what ever it is out there will not want want to recon with! I realize again how amazing this trail is, i keep learning something new all the time. right now i realize i never want to camp alone again... and i am afrain of bears! and now i have to pee! i am not going out there, 20 minutes noise free, 3 1/2 hours til the sun comes up and man do i have to pee! ok i am going to try to go back to sleep.i love you all