Date: 2012-05-03
From: Wind Rock Campsite - Tented

To: Niday Shelter - Tented
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 39 - Thursday, May 3rdHiking Days 30 / Nero Days 7 /  Zero Days 2Start Location: Wind Rock Campsite - TentedMile Marker: 656.9Ending Location: Niday Shelter - TentedMile Marker: 680.0Time: 10h 44min Miles: 23.1Weather:  warmer 55-60 morning.  Sun out 80-85 in afternoon.  Thunder later but no rain - still over 70 at 9:00pmDay started good.  Up around 6:30.  On trail at 7:15.  Not great but still an hour earlier than yesterday so I'll take it. The day was supposed to be a nice flat ridge walk but still again, VA will not let up on their rocky, slanted and rather poorly maintained trails.  Goal is to do another 25-27 mile day.  But hesitant to go past the Niday Shelter since the availability of side campsites has been very bad with all the rocks. The morning went ok.  Made it about 5 miles to the first shelter ok.  Had breakfast of two oatmeals and a mocha. ( two hot chocolate with one instant coffee).  Actually the right ratio and not bad.  And much less then $5.  As I was leaving the shelter, mouse was getting in.  She must have left very early to have made up the 5 miles this early in the day. After the shelter I saw what I think was a rattler.  It was in the leaves but certainly marked like one.   In the afternoon the sun was out in full force.  Before the last climb of the day, a sharp 1100 feet, we did a field walk which if not for the constant sun beating down on me at the peak of the day, would have been great.  There was also a sharp bump up and back down of about 150-200 feet just before the real climb.  Since this area was all cow pasture, getting water in the area was simply out of the question.  I had a touch left from the previous shelter and with a water stop just on top of the climb I thought I would be okAs it turned out, the valley walk really did a number on me.  As I was approaching the top of the final climb my body went into overdrive.  I could feel my body temp increasing.  I was sweating uncontrollably.  And I think my skipping dinner last night caught up with me.  And no water.  I knew if I did not stop I was going into heat exhaustion very quickly.  I had already entered the early stages.  I need to get my body temp down.  So I stopped, sar on a rock, faced into the little breeze that was there and focused on my breathing.  It took a bit of time and focus but I eventually got back into control of the situation.  Scary.  But still no water.  As I was sitting in the rock Mouse came up the hill.  She looked pretty strong.  As she passed she said " you never stop on an up".  She was right ... You never do.  Except if you didn't you may have died.  So all I could reply was "I know".  And that was that. I noticed that the next water was nearly 1/2 mile down a steep slope.  In essence, it was coming down off the ridge I just climbed.  That wasn't going to happen.I felt that if I kept the pace of my perspiration to a controlled level and since I'm on the ridge , another 6 miles without water would be doable.  As it turned out, the ridge walk was again rocks and short but steep up and downs.  In-fact the knife edge we were on is the Atlantic  Continental Divide.  The water to the west flows 1100 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.  The water to the east flows 450 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.  There was thunder approaching during the entire ridge walk but never really rained. I was now back in control of my body and eventually made it to a spring.  I was never so happy for a bottle of water.  Again this proves that even if you screw up the amount of water you carry, if you do the right things your not going to die.  Normally.  At the shelter by 6:10.  Without knowing the availability of a tent site ahead I stopped for the night.  I thought Mouse would be here since she passed me while I was resting on the rock.  As it turned out she stopped at the sharp down hill shelter 6 miles back since she too was out if water. Dundee did make it to the shelter.  He used the day thinking about his mail drop and determined that a zero day on sunday actually sounded like a good idea.  Huff and Puff, the two female hikers I passed in the valley are in the shelter.  I thought they would have stayed at the last shelter and Mouse would have made this one.  Also here is four spokes and a south bounder section hiker. The thunder stopped so I tented out.  So did Huff and Puff.  Already drank three bottles of additional water.  Have two or three more planned before I leave in the morning.  Not to tell all but I did not pee all day which in hiker terms is a real bad thing.  9:10.  Going to bed.  And yes, I ate my dinner tonight.  Actually not bad.  The day cannot be considered as a bad day.  The first half of the day was good.  The second half could have gone a lot better but it does indicate that if you are knowledgable in what is going on, and you have the desire to do something about it, you are able to get through many situations that are far from perfect.  Not a great day at 23 miles but at least it's over.  There's always tomorrow.