Date: 2013-06-07
From: Huffington House property

To: Niday Shelter 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

June 7th10 milesEnd at Niday ShelterRain overnight and through some of the early morning hours. Heard a truck pull past my tent and into the driveway around 8am, but before I could wake myself up and get fully dressed the truck had already left. I go ahead and break down my tent figuring maybe the vehicle will be back soon or that they dropped somebody off who can help me find my mail. I go through my ritual of knocking on all the doors but the results are the same as last night. I don't have phone service but I can force out text & Facebook messages if I stay on the patio swing so I ask two people from home to call the number I have listed for this Bed & Breakfast. We find out that the owners have been on vacation in California all week and that my mail is at the post office down the street. Eventually my mail is redelivered just after noon. I thought I would be eager to leave once my mail arrived, but oddly enough I found myself comfortable and feeling better. Opened up my mail to find not only my camera but also a bunch of my favorite snacks as well! I stayed another 3 hours just playing with the kitty and listening to music. I named the kitty Bonita and gave her a can of tuna salad. She didn't eat any of it so I donated it to a very wet dog instead. I took the extra down time to let my wool socks and rain tarp dry out. My shoes were still wet when I started walking the .5 miles of road back to the trail but it wasn't enough to soak my feet. I find the trail and spot a deer immediately. I snap a photo or two and then proceed to climb the typical odd wooden ladder placed over all the barbed wire fences along the trail. Less than 90 seconds later and I become fully drenched from the knees down. A very crooked and brief , yet heavy, amount of rain hits me. My pack blocks most of the rain from my upper body but now my feet and pants are soggy and nasty all over again. I say to myself "welcome back".Rest of the day was rain free. Hiked past the 2nd widest tree on the AT (18'4" in girth). Also crossed a sign stating Eastern Continental Divide. Walked along the ridge line for most of the afternoon. Passed up Rambles, Future, and Belch snacking at one mediocre view. I stop and snack with them but start hiking in no time. Tenth of a mile later I come across one of the best views I've seen in a month. The next mile of trail is full of large slippery slanted rocks. I slip and slide on a few of them but never fall. A fall here could likely set you back a few days and a bottle of Ibuprofen. Pull into the shelter at 7:30pm. Zach G. and Survivor are here, fire is already going, the three people I passed earlier all show up as well as Danger Pants and one other lady who only said a handful of words before going to sleep. Tonight's oriental flavored Ramen hits the spot. I was worried because last night I could barely keep dinner down I was so upset. Sour gummy worms for desert and then a liter of water before bed.The few times I walked around camp with my headlamp attracted roaches. It was pretty nasty because they would just fly right into my chest and face. Yep, roaches fly now. This area is bad for them, as I type out this journal safe in my tent I can still hear them flying into my rain tarp.