Date: 2011-06-22
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Byrd's Nest shelter #3
Miles today: 10.9

Day 91 6/22: An empty shelter; what is this?If I were to write a book of our travels, I believe a reoccuring theme would be: we got up late, had a lazy day, and spent lots of time fooling around and not hiking. Skyline Drive offers plenty (maybe too many) opportunities for indulgence in real food. Being the hungry hikers that we are, we could not pass up Skyland Wayside. I am 100% glad that we didn't, because we pampered ourselves with the best dessert known to the entire human race. Blackberry ice cream graham cracker crust pie with meringue and raspberry syrup. No sooner had the waiter placed this ambrosial morsel in front of us than it ceased to exist. I was in heaven. I keep waiting for some lovely stranger to pick up the tab. I heard this randomly happens on the trail, but we have not had such luck yet. I suppose that is a good thing, because I'm not sure if I could stop at eating just one of these if someone else was paying!We may smell poorly, but often our packs smell just as bad, if not worse. Plus, they are bulky. Usually, the proper etiquette is to set your pack next to the building before going in. You can often tell a thru-hiker's backpack from an overnighter's or section hiker's. We have got it down to a science. Sock goes here, trowel here, rolled up pad there. Packing your pack becomes so ingrained that you don't even realize that others may struggle with this daily task. While this is a generalization, a less experienced hiker may have a pack that looks completely over-stuffed with all sorts of gear haphazardly attached to the outside by every strap and bungee possible. Sometimes it seems that the hiker went to the outfitters and the saleperson convinced them that they need every gadget and gizmo under the sun.The other day we saw two hikers leave a parking lot and head for the trail. One of them had a small daypack on his back and a duffle bag resting on top of the daypack with the strap around his forehead. His buddy was carrying a small pack and several gallon jugs of water. I'm not sure what their plan was, but they did not look comfortable!While we were in Skyland, we could watch as people came in the door. Almost every head turned to check out the packs lined up like soldiers along the wall. I often wondered what these people were thinking about the owners of the packs? I was born with jet black hair, but now have a lovely shade of brown. It is true that I've never died my hair blonde. However, this upcoming story will make you wonder if I should. As we were picking up our packs outside of the wayside, I see an enthralling postcard through the gift shop window.   This picture looked like a rocky summit with a large clear blue lake on the top. Where was this gorgeous scene and could we get there? I had to run in to see if the postcard was labeled. It said "Stony Man Summit." Awesome, we were close by and it was just a short side trail. We hiked to the top and just for a moment imagine my dismay when I realize that the picture was a trick. The photographer had taken a close up of a rain puddle in the middle of a rock crevice on the summit. Opps! Did I really think there was a lake? Nah, but I was certainly hoping. Apparently, I am not the only one with such high hopes. A family with young children approached as we were standing there and one of the young'uns said "Oh look, a pond!" Trudge managed to get a similar photo.Trail magic has not forsaken us. We met a lovely couple from Germany on Stony Man summit. We answered their questions about the trail, shared some stories, and parted ways. We ran into them again at the bottom and they gave us their contact information and invited us to come visit them in their home and town in Germany! We continued hiking and got into Byrd's Nest #3 shelter after dark. On the way, we saw a timber rattlesnake stretched out near the trail that I was close to stepping on. We considered trying to go past it to an overlook, but used our better judgement and refrained. This was the smart decision, because the same sunset view was just a little bit later on the trail. In the beginning of this adventure, the shelters were bustling with people everywhere. When we got in tonight, we found only two other hikers tenting by an empty shelter. We met Long Portage, a thruhiker from 2008. He was worried that something might be wrong, since it was dark when we got in. Nope, we just like to "waste" precious daylight by eating the best dessert ever and meeting people from other places in the world. We watched the fireflies dance in the moonlight as we exchanged pleasantries with Long Portage. Yawn, Yawn, it's time for bed.