Date: 2012-05-19
From: Rod Hollow Shelter - tent pads full sheltered

To: Bears Den Rocks - Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: few clouds

Day 55 - Saturday, May 19thHiking Days 40 / Nero Days 11 /  Zero Days 4Start Location: Rod Hollow ShelterMile Marker: 987.0Ending Location: Bears Den Rocks - Bears Den HostelMile Marker: 996.9 Time: 4h 28min Miles: 9.9Weather: Great, cool in the morning.  Remained on the cool side.  High of 72. Great hiking day.  I know this has been the same but thats because it has been exactly the same Slept pretty well.  Asleep by 9:00.  It actually is starting to remain lighter noticeably longer.  I know I could hike until 8:30 with twilight untill 9:00.  But of course when the darkness hits, it comes fast.  Not having a head lamp has been fine.  I am actually glad I had to shelter last night.  Although there was a mouse chewing on something for awhile, the snoring on the tenting area can be heard clearly in the shelter.  If I tented to get away from the snoring and then the snoring was there, I would be a bit upset.  The three guys who grabbed the ride to the restaurant yesterday did in-fact make it.  Later, but they made the hump over.  I knew I wasn't going far today so of course there was no need to wake up at 6:00 when my alarm went off.  At 6:30 there was another alarm in the shelter and I got up with that.  Not much to do so since I was in the shelter.  I was still able to hit the trail at 7:02. Immediately after I left the shelter the "Roller Coaster" began.  This is a 13 mile or so section that due to a narrow trail corridor has multiple steep ups and downs in a row.  I am now about six miles into it and I think they must have finally worked out a wider right of way because it is just not that hard as I remembered it.  The first two ups were harder but after that the next 5 miles were easy. My feet are still sore this morning.  I even have developed a new pain in my right arch.  This is something I never experienced before.  I am now convinced that the issues I am having with my feet are shoe and insole related issues.  My shoes are completely de-laminating and I am now convinced my insoles have failed.  I took 4 ibuprofens for the first time this trip just to see if it would help.  It did a bit but still some pain.  But nothing that new insoles won't take care of. Once hiking, I started thinking I would skip Bears Den and go to Blackburn just 7 more miles.  I originally thought they had the same format of services.  Once I investigated it, I learned that Bears Den is the "go-to" stop.  I only have three more miles.  I was also looking at going the 30 or so miles into Harpers but realized that had no real value to it.  I'm good with my plan to Nero into Bears Den then hop the 21 into Harpers tomorrow.  Arrived at Bears Den.  To use the combination you needed to have the data sheets from any guide.  The combination was the distance in miles between two points.  Only distant hikers would have known that.  A good way to keep the local day hikers out.  Showered, had a soda.  Was going to go down the hill a mile for a burger but figured I have gained so much weight recently that I just did not need it.  Will wait for pizza and ice cream later.  I have lost some weight but with my big days you would think I would lose more.  I really do eat a lot when good food is available.  And it has been very available lately.  Also, I have had two shorter days recently.  One planned and one required I'm still thinking about how I  going to classify my previous shirt day into the previous hostel.  I'm thinking about creating a new term of a personal emergency day.  First one in nearly 2.5 AT hikes, over 5300 miles.  Now watching soccer.  There is a German here who seems to be very attentive to the game being that Munich Germany is one of the teams playing.  The door was unlocked around 5:00Same couple temping Amy and her spiderBoyscout issue. Ate pizza Moved pianoMost section hikers Ice cream. Watched "The Way" ate pop corn