Date: 2010-04-25
From: Smith Gap

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Well, it was not a good start to the day when my alarm failed to go off and so I woke up later than planned and got off later than planned. Crayola Lady was very understanding but I felt bad because she had gotten up to get me back to the trail and then I was late. They have both been so nice. Thanks to Mechanical Man and his suggestion last night, most of the day was a slack pack (as was the day before) for which my body was most grateful. I am not much faster as a slack pack but it is a lot less wear and tear on the body It was a rainy day and I had the umbrella up all day. The afternoon wasn't too bad but I still kept the umbrella up and the pack cover on. There were no hikers on the trail but there was a hiker holed up at the first shelter to which I detoured in order to eat snack bars undercover, use the privy and adjust clothing. There were some flowering cherries and some azaelias and some sad looking violets in the rain. When I reached Wind Gap, there was an SUV with a young woman waiting for hikers coming behind me. She let me eat my lunch on her tailgate out of the rain which was nice. We had a nice conversation while I ate. Her mother and sister, Blossom and Sprite, are on a thru-hike of the AT just entering the Smokies right now. As I started off from Wind Gap, my chest strap broke. A few feet up the trail I took the strap off of my hat and used it to tie the chest strap together. It worked. There is a long stretch of 5 miles between Wind Gap and Wolf Rocks and no signs or main features of trail. I kept wondering what would happen if I got turned around and headed the wrong direction on the trail after a potty stop. There was nothing remarkable enough to have told me I was going the wrong way. One rocky trail with trees and bushes at the side looks about like any other rocky trail with trees and bushes at the side. Fortunately that did not happen. When I finally reached Wolf Rocks I called Mechanical Man and he met me at 191 with my gear and water. BTW Wolf Rocks are the farthest south point of the evidence of glaciers. It was immediately apparent to me in the kind of rocks. Wolf Rocks are smooth, glacier polished rock in large chunks. And it was wet and raining. I had to move very carefully to avoid a crash. But I got through ok. Mechanical Man and Crayola Lady came through with food again. He brought me a nice chicken breast sandwich, a piece of pizza and chocolate chip cookies so I would not have to cook anything. Thank you both, so much!!!! So I loaded everything up and headed for the shelter, making it just before dark. long day! In the shelter was a surprise by the name of YoYo. He had just laid down and got up to talk with me while I unpacked and ate. He remembered and then, when he mentioned The Priest, I remembered. I met him a year and a half ago on my fall hike in Virginia at THe Priest Shelter. Cool! It was nice to have company. We were in bed by 9:00 listening to the thunder and watching the lightning and hearing the rain pound down. Glad to be in shelter. Tomorrow I will leave PA rocks and go see what the rocks are like in Connecticut. And life is good.