Date: 2009-05-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.0

Dear readers,This entry is a continuation of the last one... just wanted to break it up a bit. Since entering Virginia we haven't bothered to bear bag too much. Bears really aren't a problem until the Shenendoahs. However, a few days ago, we read in a trail register that a bear was sighted two days prior at the shelter so we figured it'd be smart to bag our newly resupplied foodbags. Understandably, I was a little out of practice at the whole throwing my bear line over a branch ordeal. My line didn't have enough weight on the end to pull the line all the way down after getting tossed over the branch. Instead, it got caught on the branch and force swung the carabiner around the branch a second time, thus getting the line stuck up there. Oops. Saint to the rescue! I climbed on his shoulders and he hoisted me up so I could reach the branch with a trekking pole to unwrap the carabiner. He was glad I didn't have gas. Thanks, buddy! Gangsta captured the problem solving on video... hopefully I will have the opportunity to post these videos at some point. Gotta love evening entertainment on the AT.Two days ago I took my first official swim on the AT! Gangsta, Rusticus, and I jumped in a reservoir we were passing. The weather has been hot and humid! The water of the reservoir didn't look very appealing, nor did it smell good, but it felt great on our sticky bodies! I'm not sure we walked away smelling any better but at least the body odor got reduced, and we felt clean. I know what my socks smell like after going through muddy puddles and feared the same outcome for my clothes after swimming in the murky water. We jumped in wearing them, thinking it would clean them a bit. I'm not sure it did much good. Swamp stench or body odor? I made sure to rinse myself off in the crystal clear creek with Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap once we arrived at camp 2 miles later.Along with the heat and humidity come frequent afternoon thunderstorms. And with those have come bugs... in full force! Particularly, no-see-ums. I sleep with a tube of AfterBite near my head because I wake up from an intense urge to scratch my bites in the middle of the night. I've been dousing myself with bug spray (30% DEET) multiple times a day, but it seems as though it's not doing much. Nothing beats rinsing off in a cool mountain stream like spraying yourself with bug spray immediately after. Nightly, I cringe at the thought of putting my sticky, sweaty, dirty, sunscreen/bug spray covered body into my sleeping bag. Going seven hot, humid, hiking-filled days without a shower is proving to be a bit gruesome, even for me. Luckily, a full body sprinkle of Gold Bond Body Powder (mentioned in my prior entry) makes me smell better, makes my skin feel smooth, and makes crawling into my bag for the night a more manageable thought.The thunderstorms have been harsh, but my tent has survived! A little water ricochets up from the ground getting the lower mesh of my walls a little wet, but that's the trade-off for having great ventilation. The torrential storms I've stayed relatively dry through has given me greater confidence in my Hubba. During the first storm, I attempted a feat never done before in my tent. I peed... in a bottle. Yup, it was pouring outside, puddles were forming around my tent and in my vestibule. I was not about to get out of my warm dry sleeping bag and tent to relieve myself. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Good thing I had an extra Gatorade bottle with me. And if you're thinking "Dang, Wags must have good aim", I don't. I tore a corner off a ziplock and used it as a funnel. Good thing the ziplock had no holes. Sometimes you gotta think outside the box (or bottle?). I was quite relieved (no pun intended) when all was said and done and no spillage had occurred. In the words of Saint, "I could've had worse problems than rain to deal with in my tent if that had gone awry."Yes, this past week has given me a glimpse of what lies ahead in the summer months. Does the fact that the humidity and bugs seemed unbearable at times and it's only May concern me? No, I know I will adapt and adjust to the trials of summer, however, I'm not looking forward to peak mosquito season, the humidity of the Mid-Atlantic, or the black flies of the north. I remember the early days back in March and April when I wanted nothing more than for Summer to come, but now that cooler weather of early Spring doesn't seem so bad. The grass is always greener on the other side.That's all for this one...Happy Trails,Wags