Date: 2016-06-25
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Hut
Miles today: 20.6

Woke up in Pinefield Hut at around 7:30. We all slept in as it was a foggy morning. It was a full house in the shelter with 10 of us in a shelter that's supposed to fit 6. We weren't cramped and all fit comfortably. The rain will do that to any shelter. So today my climbs consisted of Weaver Mt, Hightop Mt, Saddleback Mt, Baldface Mt and Bearfence Mt. My rest stops would be all the gaps on Skyline which were Pinefield, Simmons, Powell, Smith Roach and Swift Run gap. The climbing was much steeper today than yesterday. Shanendoah pulled out the stops today with some steep big climbs. I left Pinefield at 8am and was on my way. I stopped at Simmons gap to get water from the ranger station as they had a hand pump out front. On the way back to the trail from the ranger station there were 3 deer grazing on the side of the road. They stayed as I pad and one of them came up to me to sniff. Wow so close. When I got back to where Skyline meets the trail from the side road to the ranger station I remember the Coke can. I was excited as I packed out a Coke from Waynesboro which I was going to drink at lunch. It was in the side pocket with one of my water bottles. It was super foggy and misty. I had my pack cover on as it was so wet and it kept dripping on the back of my legs and shorts getting my backside wet. After a few miles I rested and realized that it wasn't water dripping on me but Coke. The can got a bit crushed and was leaking out of the can and dripping out the bottom of my pack. I grabbed the can and opened it to quickly drink what was left and I was barely a mouthful. Noooooooo I was so looking forward to that Coke. Ugh. The only good news is there was the Lewis Mt campground 15 miles away where I could buy a Coke. I just needed to get there before they closed at 7. I continued my up and down climbs stopping on the view point of high top mountain. I crossed over the 900 mile mark on the way up to the summit which was very exciting. Someone had made a sign out of sticks on a rock on the side of the trail. The fog and clouds were starting to break up as some sun came out while I was eating. I became the dedicated picture taker for the weekend and section hikers as they came out to the viewpoint. It was no big deal I was there and no reason why I couldn't. One interesting thing I noticed on this Saturday was while hiking north and weekenders or section hikers were coming south they would jump out of the way for me. I always said thank you and most said you deserve the right of way. It made me feel good to have that respect for what I was doing. I made it to a picnic area where I filled up on water and had a snack. Only 5 miles to go before I reached Lewis Creek Campground and Coke!! I should add that my foot was giving me grief today like it did late last night. Exactly where I fractured my foot ten years ago it was sore when I walk. Usually this happens when the support in my shoe is shot. Luckily Jeff ordered me super feet and will be bringing them down to me on the Fourth of July weekend. I popped Ibuprofen to numb the pain and walked slower than normal. The other issue I had which was the first in the whole trip was Ass crack chaffing. Not going into detail but it sucks!! Thank God for Gold Bond tonight. I reached the campground at 6:15 and made it to the camp store with plenty of time to spare. I ate a whole bag of tortilla chips and 2 Cokes. Several of the other hikers were there from the shelter last night. Waterfall showed as I was getting ready to leave. She went for the 20 opposed to the 15 she was going to do. Her ankle held out and she thinks she will pay for it tomorrow but she did it today. I only had .8 miles to go from the campground to the shelter. Made it there at around 7:45. I was full from all the chips and soda so I skipped dinner. I set up my tent, brushed my teeth, put my food bag in the bear box and crashed for the night. Gonna shoot for 26 miles on Sunday.