Date: 2004-10-05
From: Harpers Creek

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: clear sky

The shelter filled up late last night with six SOBO hikers. There were two middle aged ladies, a young couple, and two young girls. They seem to be hiking as a loosely organized group. The two day-hikers had camped out, so there were seven of us in the shelter. The SOBO group are at that stage where they have begun to realize that they realy do need to make big miles every day in order to make it to Georgia. They had done 23 miles that day and they were realy hurting.   I believe that all thru hikers arrive at that stage eventually. If you are going to hike the entire AT in a single year the math is unyielding. You just have to knuckle down and do the miles every day at some stage in order to make it happen. This group was just beginning to understand that. It left no time for leisurely hiking, few zero days, and the definite realization of long tough painful days ¢ day after day after day ¢ stretching into the future. No time to enjoy the views, not much time to talk with strangers on the trail, early starts, long days, hiking under even the worst conditions, and late arrivals at nights destination. This is where the mental determination takes over. It is also where the question ¢Why am I doing this? ¢ renews itself with new vigor in the mind every day.   I slept well and arose early. Had a hot breakfast. The SOBO¢s just eat power bars and we all started off when the sun was well up, they to the south and I to the north. Today was just 6.2 miles, but it was up and over the Three Ridges. It gets tougher and tougher, and rockier and rockier, as you go over each successive ridge, I knew it was going to be a difficult climb and had planned a short day to accommodate.   There were spectacular views from the Ridges as I climbed. Chimney Rocks was particularly spectacular and needed hands and feet to get over the difficult parts. I fell at one stage and scraped some skin off of my left knuckles. No big deal and no serious injury, but I lost a chunk of skin and it bled a bit. I was thankful to finally reach the summit of Three Ridges.   After that it was an easy descent down here to the shelter. I think that I DESCENDED to the summit of Bee Mountain - OK maybe a small ascent at the end.   As I came down Bee Mountain, the camera quit working, and when I got here to the shelter and had a chance to examine it in detail, it appears that the battery is at last dead. So no more photos until I can replace the battery in Waynesboro.   The weather is just great. It started out cold and breezy, but now it is 80 with a clear blue sky and the bees are buzzing and the crickets are chirping! It feels like the middle of summer.   There were three chocolate puddings in the shelter when I arrived. Since the interior of the shelter seem nice and cool, and since these puddings are the kind that I routinely see exposed to all sorts of temps on the store shelves, I contemplated eating one. As I was thinking about it hunger overcame discretion, and I gobbled down one while still wondering if it was safe to do so.   I plan on spending a relaxing afternoon here. All of my gear is spread out in the hot sun to get dried off and sanitized by the UV waves. Tomorrow is 16.1 miles to Paul C Wolf [did he?] Shelter. The register here sends mixed messages. Some entries say that it is OK, but at least one says ¢worse than Pennsylvania¢. Now that is a cause for concern. No camping sites are listed twix here and there either. In the register Slow Barbara has voiced similar concerns.   What a great day, and what a wonderful spot to spend a lazy afternoon. There are parts of books left here in the shelter for my reading enjoyment, so I will be occupied. I also plan on writing a letter to KT. Got a good signal and spoke with her for a few minutes last night ¢ all is well.Thought ¢                A lot of easy stuff is not the same as a small amount of hard stuff.There are differences between people who are talented and people who are just persistent and consistent in their efforts. The talented person may be able to do things that the others can¢t, but may lack the ability to perform consistently, day after day, over the long haul. I think that it is the latter type of person who is more likely to successfully hike the AT.