Date: 2009-06-05
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: moderate rain

I was the last one in at night and the first one out in the morning! I was on a mission to get breakfast at Elkwallow Wayside- that breakfast sandwich, coffee, and cinammon bun that Single Speed had talked about was now calling my name! It was a damp, drizzly morning. I walked up the hill on the shelter sidepath to the AT and very shortly came upon the mother and baby deer on the trail! As soon as they saw me, they both bolted- the mother snorted and ran off into the woods on my right and the baby ran straight ahead on the trail for aways until I no longer saw it!   I thought that was a special animal sighting, but I would see something even more rare a couple of hours later- a bobcat running on the trail in front of me! (or at least that's what I think it was). I almost cried because it was so rare.   I kept up a strong pace for the 7.4 miles, happily checking off the miles at each of the signposts. As I neared my destination, the rain picked up its intensity. When I reached the road and approached the building at 10:20, I could not have been happier. I was going to get a hot breakfast and get sheltered indoors! I used the restroom, dodged some raindrops on my way to the store, found a dry spot for my pack outside, and walked in. Two things brought my happiness factor down- 1) There was not a single place to sit down indoors and 2) the staff were not friendly at all! Had I had a place to sit (along with a friendly greeting), I could have asked for no more. And to top it off, there were no cinnamon buns at this wayside.    I stood by the door, eating my breakfast sandwich and coffee and got chilled every time someone opened the door. Since I had some coffee left, I decided to get a candybar for dessert to go with it. I moved a bag of cornmeal that was on display on the corner of a makeshift bench and sat down. Stats came in and ordered his food and cleared the other corner. Later on, Single Speed came in and piled up other containers to make more space... The hikers, all wanting to sit down, to eat protected from the rain, had taken over the display! After Single Speed got his sandwich, I ordered round 2: a pulled pork sandwich and another coffee! (and another candy bar). By that time, I was definitively full and it was time to load up on water and move on (the hikers who had stayed at my shelter were just arriving). I got back on the trail at 12:10. I stopped in at Gravel Springs Hut for a break. I was the first to get there, but as it got more and more crowded with hikers intending to spend the night and claim their space, I felt the need to get out of there and back out to my own space. I said goodbye to Single Speed and headed out. My goal was to get to Tom Floyd Wayside 10.5 miles later. It rained all afternoon, but I remained in good spirits. I was full of energy after eating real food, and I prefer the cooler, bugless air that usually comes along with rain. Single Speed said I had no right to be in such a good mood in such weather   As evening approached and the trail took a turn- I heard a rustling in the woods. Another bear (my last in the Shenandoahs). It seemed like a juvenile and did not mind my presence. It frolicked in the woods as I walked along.At the top of Compton peak, I got startled by an animal that I did not see-close to the trail. It was a deer, who moved several feet into the woods upon my response, but who stayed there, unafraid of me. He was nibbling on leaves and seemed quite content. I decided to take a break with him! I ate a power bar, chatted with the deer, and when I put my pack back on, he looked at me curiously, as if asking what I was doing. Just before the shelter, I officially left the Shenandoahs, and I felt quite sad. The park, with its abundant wildlife, opportunities to eat, and neat signposts marking the way, had really grown on me, and I didn't want it to end. I panicked for a minute, wondering how I would find the rest of the shelters without the signposts directing me. Before I even left the park, I heard a loud gunshot, followed several seconds later by a loud crashing. What was that?! Someone killing a bear? Why don't we see any bears outside the park boundaries? This made me feel extremely sad.   I finally arrived at the shelter, with not much light remaining. Two men were already in their sleeping bags- one on each side of the small shelter. Top of Gothics was getting water ( a long way down the hill...). He was sure there would be no more hikers coming in after me, but Minnesota IPA rolled in and we squeezed him in. This shelter had a nice deck, but in the rain, we could not take advantage of it. It was a tough night of unrest with various noises being emitted from the two older men, Top of Gothics getting up and banging around several times in the middle of the night, and Minnesota pounding the floor- trying to silence some of the noise. (And yet another night on a hard floor with no sleeping pad for me!)