Date: 2013-06-02
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Even though I was tired last night, I didn't sleep terribly well. The lumpy uneven ground never let me settle. I was just starting to rest when it was time to get up. But even then, it was 6:30 before I coaxed myself out of my sleeping bag. The other three were still sound asleep when I went up to the picnic tables to start making breakfast. I envied their slumber. I was the first one on the trail that morning. I know because of all the spider webs I gathered on my arms, legs and face. They are so impossibly small, and they shine so quaintly in the morning light. But I hate how they tickle. The morning air was sweet and warm, again, like warm honeysuckle.I passed Honeybadger and three others slack packing in the other direction. The BRP paralleled the AT for several miles. One minute you think you are along, the next minute you see a head floating across the landscape through the trees. It almost felt like the trail builders were trying to hide the hikers from the motorists. The trail would dip well below the gaps, so you fight the vines and brush that grows below the road support levee. It almost made me feel like I should be in a car rather than on foot.My right knee still feels a little funny and a little weak. I'm keeping the compression bandage on it. The descent from Dragon's Tooth and the descent into Daleville really did a number on it. It makes me nervous. The air is hot and humid. I keep wiping my face with the bandana, but even it is getting soaked. The gnats and bugs are relentless. I sprayed myself with DEET and even rubbed a squirt on my face. That only seemed to get them more excited, and it made my lips go numb.I got down to Jenning's Creek (VA 614). There was a great swimming hole there. Pumpkin (Hamster's significant other) was there handing out trail magic. I took a seat in a folding chair, and she handed me a solo cup full of lemonade over ice. It was sooooo good. I went down to the water and had a swim. I washed my sweaty shirt and underwear and soaped up my body. Thank you, Aunt Elaine, for the Dr. Baumer's! I put on a clean, dry shirt and fresh undies, and I started making lunch. As with yesterday, the storm clouds rolled in, as if on cue. I was under leafy vegegation, so I didn't get too wet. At least not initially. I finished lunch, and strapped my wet clothes to the outside of my pack. But the time I got back up to the road, the rain was coming down. Pumpkin handed me a solo cup full of salty potato chips to take with me. I think I had them all eaten within 100 meters. It was an easy climb up to Bryant Ridge. The shelter was beautiful and the setting ideal. Blitz was there pumping water. I considered stopping, but the gnats were relentless. I didn't want to set up a tent in the rain, nor did I want to the main course in a bug feast. So I decided to push on. I set off a few minutes after Blitz. He moves considerably faster than me. So I was surprised to see him standing in the middle of the trail, pack off (also in the middle of the trail), smoking a cigarette looking both excited and a bit freaked out. Something wasn't right. I approached cautiously and as quietly as possible. He looked back at me. I asked if everything was okay. Just a few minutes before, he was moving through the area. The vegetation is really thick and about thigh-high, something you'd expect to see in Jurassic Park. I usually expect to see snakes. But not Blitz. Two bear cubs had darted out directly in front of him, so close he could have spit on them, he said. He stopped and started back tracking. Momma bear appeared right behind them. One of the bears started running towards him, so he really started back-peddling quickly. The baby bears ran into the bushes on one side of the trail, the momma bear to the other, he was somewhere in the middle. He ran back up the trail about 150 ft. Dropped his pack and decided he needed a cigarette. That's when I got there. Unfortunately, the bears were gone. I kept looking for bears as I climbed up, up, up. I sweated and panted the entire way. The sun came out and the wind blew a little. I stopped to take my pack cover off so that my clothes would dry. Sometime when I wasn't paying attention, the rain started again. I was soaking wet before I realized it. Oh well. I had planned to stop at a campsite about half-way up the mountain, but it was still raining when I got there. I was in no mood to put up a tent in the rain, nor was I interested in standing around waiting for the rain to stop. So I kept climbing. It was a bugger of a hill. It was a total of 5 miles of steady climbing. My hips were getting tight, and my thigh muscles were burning. My right knee felt okay right up until the last half mile. For its sake, I should have stopped earlier. Tomorrow I'll force myself into shorter miles. I got to the turn off for Cornelius Creek Shelter, and it was still a .1 or .2 hike uphill to get to it. At least the rhododendrons are still perky and blooming up here. They are dead most other places I've seen today. The shelter was full, but I had caught with some familiar faces. They had spent most of the day holed up out of the rain. The rain had let up, so I quickly set up my tent. I peeled off my wet clothes and put on my "emergency" dry clothes. I ate some Aleve and Ibuprofen, my legs and knees are aching. I cooked dinner and then retreated back into my tent. I just hope tonight's sleep in an improvement over last night's. Sweet dreams.