Date: 2004-06-01
From: Jennings Creek

To: Marble Spring
Miles today: 20.9

We woke up to an unseasonably chilly morning. But with cold, clear nights came perfect hiking weather. Our first stop was the beautifully constructed, triple decker Bryant Ridge Shelter where we read the registry and discovered that Saltlick and Coyote had managed to stay there all yesterday. I'm not sure how because the no-see-ums were vicious.There were some hefty climbs today which split our group apart. I ended up walking to Apple Orchard Mountain with an older guy named Paul, a Floridian rancher taking some time to section hike Virginia to Pennsylvania. When we came upon the Guillotine, a rock suspended over the trail, he was fascinated by its positioning between two larger boulders and joked that it could fall any second.I saw Catdog at Thunder Hill Shelter and told her that the weather was much too nice to stop. I was going to find a campground further up Trail. She decided to call it a day. But before leaving, I took the time to chat with Mark Trail, a section hiker. He told me that Spider Web left me a four leaf clover in the registry--nice surprise. Apparently she has an eye for finding these things.I moved on after a rest and stopped at Petite Gap to get some dinner before hiking my last two miles to a campsite mentioned in Wingfoot. Paul showed up shortly after and joined me for dinner. He's a genuine old time cowboy, but admits his wife of forty-five years, a retired stock broker, takes care of him. Don't mention the name Disney to him. He shivers at the thought of what they do to the land. I really enjoyed our conversation as we cooked our one-pot meals. Then I packed up and moved on while he pitched his tent.Next, I saw Hawk's tent and chatted a few minutes with him. His tent was perched on a miniscule piece of dirt that seemed custom made for his tarp. He never caught up with Saltlick and Coyote and planned to go to Glasgow for resupply the next day. Since I also needed resupply and didn't want to hitch alone, I asked him to wait for me tomorrow at the intersection. No problem.I kept hiking and passed over a small prominance called Highcock Knob (laughters all around--these thru-hikers never grow up) and descended into the dark woods to Marble Spring campsite. Who should I see stoking a fire but Saltlick and Coyote! "You who!" I announced. We couldn't believe it. I had finally caught up with them after a month of being one or two days behind.As I set up tent, a strong gust of wind blew through the area. Saltlick and Coyote helped me finish pitching my tent. Then as suddenly as the wind arrived, it died. Phew, missed another storm. We sat around the fire engaged in lively chatter until two young guys with their dog showed up. They were trying out the AT for their projected adventure next year. You can always tell a short-term hiker from a thru-hiker. They smell nice and they bother to bring a radio. They also stay up really late. After my 20 mile stint, I was a touch frustrated by this. I still managed to sleep and when I woke up suddenly around 3 am, they were in bed.Unfortunately the wind had picked up and ignited the campfire. It was raging. I had to get up to dowse it. Thankfully, it had not strayed from the rock circle. Their dog was off its leash and approached barking really loud. Hopefully these youngsters fine tune their camping skills before attempting the whole thing next year.(Later note: The strong gust of winds passed through the area three or more times that night. Paul mentioned that he swore a tornado passed near his tent. It sounded like a train and he was blown to pieces. Hawk, on the other hand, had a close encounter with some large creature that huffed and stomped outside his tent. Eventually it retreated into the woods. Guess we all had restless sleeps).