Date: 2006-06-10
From: Fisher's Gap Trail (SNP) (mile 911.8)

To: Pass Mountain Hut (SNP)
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well this morning was a little bit of a headache after our night out at Big Meadows last night. In the dark of the night we thought we had found a nice little secluded area to set up our tents in the middle of the forest but bright and early this morning I heard a car pull up several yards away from our camp and park. I unzipped my tent door and to my surprise was a huge parking lot just beside us. In it sat one lonely car. Shortly after that another car pulled up followed by another. So much for being secluded in the wilderness these days. We decided to get up and at least pack our gear before getting a fine for camping in an unapproved area. The hiking part came a little later as we tried to re-hydrate before starting our hike for the day. By the time we reached Rock Spring Hut we were all out of water and needed to stop. The hut was just a short distance off the trail and the water source was a little further beyond that. The hut was built of rock just like the others that are located in the park and are in decent shape for the number of hikers that use them each year. I dropped my pack on the picnic table and greeted a couple that had spent the night there. They motioned for us to keep our distance because both of them were sick with the trail flu and didn¢t want to spread it. Still really early in the day we stopped long enough to fill our bottle and continued up the trail. Most of today¢s hike crisscrossed the Skyline Drive yielding viewpoints over the valleys below. For lunch we stopped at Skyline North and ate at the Lodge. It was very nice inside and offered a coffee bar at the entrance with a gift shop just across the hall. Hot Springs grabbed a quick lunch and found a TV to catch some of today¢s world cup soccer game. The rest of us took our time enjoying a hot meal escaping the wind outside. Donkey, Hot Springs, and I ended up staying at Skyline North until 4:00 pm catching the last game for the day. Our goal was to catch the rest of the gang before dark at Pass Mountain Hut just under 11 miles away. The nicest views from the day came from Little Stony Man Cliffs and The Pinnacle were we encountered a rocky descend down to Thornton Gap. The trail was really unique here and much of it had stonework that defined the trail, but it was really tough to walk on especially with a 35-pound pack on your back and sore feet. After crossing Thornton Gap we met up with Chardonnay¢s brother and we hiked a short way into Pass Mountain Hut for the evening. When we got there a family had already taken up most of the shelter for the night and was not willing to share. Not only were they not willing to share they were rude. The tenting area was just past the shelter and privy on the right as you entered so we took that area up as our camping spot. Some one had just done some trail work in the area and built new dirt platforms for our tents. Most everyone had been picking up miscellaneous goods from the stores on our way through the park and had planned a cookout tonight. Chardonnay¢s brother had also brought a pack full of things from town to add to our feast. Luckily someone had stacked a lot of firewood at the shelter so we had a nice fire to grill on the rest of the night. The rude family was not very friendly but it did not keep the rest of us from having a good time. Tonight at Pass Mountain Hut; Chardonnay and her brother, Donkey, Hot Springs, Zoomer, Baro, Jangles, Eric, Silverfoot, and a family.