Date: 2007-03-17
To: Shake Down Day 2
Miles today: 0.0

I couldn't wait for it to get light but I was also too cold to want to get out of my tent and start the day. I didn't sleep particularly well since I kept worrying about an ice-laden branch falling down on my tent. Tonight I will definitely stay in a shelter. Spent a lot of time in the tent - from about 5pm last night to 8 this morning. I didn't bring a book or radio or anything and my fingers were only happy inside my sleeping bag, so I didn't want to sit there writing. Never did cook that hot dinner. Nor did I get out to bearbag my food. I look at my Companion pages and am pleased that I did 11.5 miles yesterday. I'd wanted to average 11. I'm not sore yet, although I expect I may feel it tonight. The terrain was gentle and the trail was reasonably easy to negotiate. My plan this morning is to get moving and just go to the next shelter where I can cook a hot lunch and decide how far to hike for the day. If I wasn't concerned about falling trees, I'd hike my own mileage but my desire to sleep under a roof - at least for the next couple of days until the sun melts the ice - forces me to pick between 8.5 miles to Blackrock Hut and 22 to Pinefield Hut. I'll decide after lunch. I really hope the hut is placed so the wind isn't going right into it. That really brings the temps down and it'd be nice to not be so cold. The park is beautiful, all dressed in sparkly white. I feel lucky to be out tromping around in such gorgeous scenery. I've decided that I have to walk through here again this summer just for comparison. Forget trying to use this week as part of my thru. I want to come back and check it out in it's green glory. Skyline Drive is closed for the season, so whenever the trail crosses it, I stroll across, leaving my prints. There are some animals out leaving tracks in the snow but not a human anywhere. Some poor salamander died right on the trail on top of the snow. He was a tiny little guy - maybe 2" long at most. I get to Blackrock Hut around 1pm and filter my first water at the spring in front of it. I know I should be drinking more, but it's cold and I'm not really thirsty. I unpack my stove system and make some oatmeal for a quick meal before moving on to a FD pasta. I have to decide if I want to go another 13.5 north to the next shelter. The last entry in the shelter register was two days ago. I've seen not a single hiker today. Didn't see one yesterday either. If I stay here, I'll be spending at least 15 hours inside my tent again. This is not how I wanted to hike. I wanted to be out in nature. Enjoying the birds, the rivers, the views, the walking. I didn't want to be holed up in a tent with an occasional interruption of walking. If I was experienced in winter camping and hiking, the unexpected ice storm and cold winds would not be a problem. But the reality is it doesn't feel safe to be out here completely without another human on the trail. And I don't want to hike for 4 hours each day to be followed by 20 hours in the tent. All that does is leave me lots of time to think about all the things I have left to do to get ready for my thru. I look at my map and check my Companion. I sort through my possible choices. I decide that I really don't need to be out for 10 days. I go ahead and set my tent up inside the shelter. The shelter is well-placed in that the wind isn't coming right in, but the extra protection from the cold will be nice and I really don't think I'm going to be bothering anyone. I bearbag my food before crawling into my tent. The pole system is so easy and convenient but I worry about the low-hanging branch that looks like a rodent highway right to one of the bearpole hooks. I crawl into my sleeping bag with the shelter register. I'm thrilled to have something to read even if it does warn that I'll be sharing with a snake and a large equipment-eating rat. I think the snake needs to get to work on the rat, but that's just my little opinion. I add my ink to the register and then wait for morning light so I can get moving again.