Date: 2006-10-13
From: Wise Shelter

To: Saunders Shelter, VA
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 134 (Friday)Up @ 7:30, although several of the Cincinatti crew were up earlier & firing up stoves. Breakfast - oatmeal (apple cinnamon - low sugaar variety (don't ask me why)). Morning temp - 31 deg (overnight low about 27 deg). Water from spring was not frozen, although the ground was. 1st on trail at 9am, w/ the Cincinatti crew right behind me. Leprechaun was last up & debated restarting the fire for a long time before deciding to do so. Shed layers quickly & leapfrogged the Cincinatti crew in the process (1 guy had the same Columbia hat as me & spent 5 min in camp in the morning commenting on how full my beard was - I didn't know how to respond). Passed Massie Gap & a few day walkers before passing a herd of about 30 "wild" ponies, including 2 lying across the trail. Passed Wilburn Ridge trail & about 30 dayhikers & went thru "fat man's squeeze" (like the lemon squeezer only roomier). Lots of great open views across the highlands. Passed Jack's dad before reaching Thomas Knob Shelter & after petting a pony that nibbled on my leg (video). Jack's Dad & brother stayed w/ him @ Thomas Knob the night prior & his Dad was planning to hike w/ him into Damascus w/ Jack & his brother, but decided he couldn't keep up & was going back to his car (he looked fine when I saw him, but they had an 18 mi day planned). Jack's dad also reported that Tentpole had not stayed @ Thomas' Knob w/ them as I had assumed, since he didn't stay @ Wise shelter. Reached Thomas' Knob around 11am & met a USFS volunteer (Ed) (like a ridgerunner, but also patrols trails besides the AT) who mentioned that Tentpole was behind me. I didn't know how I had passed him & asked if he knew where Tentpole had stayed the previous night. He smiled & said, "Yeah", but that it would be better if he told me himself. I said, "OK" & looked forward to hearing the story. Had an early lunch & climbed a 0.5 mi side trail to the viewless summit of MT. Rogers, the highest point in VA. As I got down, I saw Tentpole coming up behind me from across the meadow. He caught me about 15 minutes later & told me how Ed ran into him @ the scales & invited him to spend the night at his cabin after swearing him to secrecy (apparently he does this for the select occasional thru hiker) & fed him dinner & breakfast (guess the secret's out now - please don't mention it to Ed). Hiked w/ Tentpole to Elk Garden where he got ahead while I stopped to read the signs. Passed a few more fall-break hikers & weekenders in the parking lot there. Reached Lost Mtn Shelter at 5:45pm & found it empty & debated staying but decided against it b/c I wanted to meet Jack's brother (Gretel) & keep open the option of catching the post office on Saturday. 6 miles from Lost Mtn to Saunders Shelter went quickly; got some cell service & talked to Mom while night hiking the last mile. Reached the side trail to the shelter & walked the loop, missing the spur to the shelter before going back & finding it. In camp around 7:45 & found Jack, David (Gretel) & Tentpole. Borrowed some water off Jack to cook dinner before going down to the spring (BP - beef stroganoff) to save time. In bed 9pm. (Jack & David did 18 mi that day - a personal record for David - not bad for a 14 yr old out for a weekend). Evening temp in the 30's - a bit warmer than the night before (lower altitude).