Date: 2016-06-15
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 7am as Lieutenant Dan was leaving, this is the latest in quite a long time that I have woken up. I feel that I have caught up on my sleep now and I am ready to go. I left at 8:15am with temperature in the upper 60's and a little drizzle. I saw a couple of deer right away. They took off running and didn't make a sound. I would have missed them if I wasn't paying attention. There was a good view at Chimney Rock and later I saw another deer. This time I saw it before it saw me. I stopped and as it came around the bend of the trail it saw me and stopped. We stood there looking at each other as if we were daring the other to move! I made a slow move for my phone to get a picture but it took off...maybe next time. A little later I came up on a clearing and saw my first wild turkey. It took off flying and got about 10 ft off the ground then started gliding down hill. The turkey looked very graceful, not a word you would associate with a turkey it fit. I hiked by myself all morning as it rained off and on and I came up on Caledonia State Park. Goldberry was there doing trail magic again. This time she had a park BBQ grill going and you cooked your own hot dogs or hamburgers. She had all the trimmings with snacks and drinks. She was set up under a pavilion. I spent almost 2 hours there and met up with other hikers. She told me that Aurora and Conundrum had come by trail magic the day before about 5 minutes after I had left! The rain had let up by the time I started hiking again. Three miles later I arrived at Quarry Gap Shelter. This shelter was amazing with two sleeping areas with a breezeway in between and a picnic table. It had hanging flower pots, a sundial and a bench swing. Somebody takes pride in taking care of this shelter! I heard the shelters in Pennsylvania were great and so far it is true. It started to rain again slightly. 7 miles down the trail I arrived at Birch Run Shelter There were a few hikers there already including a couple I had met quite a while ago. I was tired and was hoping the shelter was not full because the forecast was for thunderstorms tonight and the next day. There were 8 bunks and 5 were taken. I grabbed an upper bunk and got settled. I got water and washed up in the creek. I sat down to eat when I heard someone call my name...it was Aurora and Conundrum, my hiking buddies! It was great to reunite with them. They grabbed the last two spots in the shelter and we caught up. When I got off the trail to go home they had hiked on but Aurora's Grandfather had gotten ill, so they both got off the trail to visit him and he passed away. He was 100 years old. They ended up getting on the trail the same day I did and we actually camped at the same place the first day back only we didn't know it. They got there early and I got there late. I left in the morning before they did without even seeing each other. Amazing! It was a good day! I got in the bunk at 8:30pm but had a rough night. There was one snorer and wow could he snore!! The snoring was so bad that two hikers got out of the shelter and set up tents in the pouring rain! I didn't want to be that adventurous so I just lay there. At least my body rested as I was laying down even though I did not get much sleep.