Date: 2014-05-27
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

RW Means Rattlesnake Winding.I got up early, refreshed from a good and long night's sleep. I started at 6:00 AM so I could get started on the 2,000 foot climb up Three Ridges Mountain in the cool morning. I was the first out of camp and that meant I was the one to clear the spider webs off the trail as I hiked. Wrecking Ball was still asleep. Dawn was just breaking and in the valley and woods it was still dark when I started out but light enough to see the trail. I hadn't gone more than 100 yards when I almost stepped on a snake, which startled me. The next half hour and until the trail was well lit, I studied every root and stick before stepping on it to make sure it wasn't a snake. My plan yesterday to rest my feet and gather strength for this climb was a wise decision. I felt good and this climb didn't take much out of me, even though the climb was steep and very rocky. While I thought I was going fast, Wrecking Ball caught and passed me at the top of the mountain. She is such a strong hiker and I chased her the rest of the day.Just before reaching Maupin Field Shelter, I nearly stepped on a big black RATTLESNAKE. See pictures. My right foot was just inches from its nose and I jumped about 4 feet when I realized my foot was next to its head. It was still early in the morning, and I figure the snake was sluggish, cold, and more interested in warming itself than me. I studied it and it watched me intently, but never threatened me. I took my trekking pole and straightened it out to see its tail and prove it was a RATTLESNAKE. It let me and never rattled. I pushed it back into a ball and went on. I wanted to leave a note for the next hikers to watch out for the snake, but I didn't have any paper. Later I spoke to the hikers behind me and none of them had seen the snake. I feared it might bite one of them and was relieved that it had crawled away and didn't hurt anyone.At lunch time I cooked some food on Cedar Cliffs and went on. Wrecking Ball intended to stop for the day on Humpback Mountain, but the weather looked threatening and she changed her mind. She didn't want to camp in bad weather on an open cliff ridge. Good decision. I thought to camp near a spring after 18 miles but thunder and lightening changed my mine and Wrecking Ball and I hiked as fast as possible to the next shelter. We didn't make it. The heavens opened up with a tremendous thunderstorm. I counted the lightening to see how close it was. One Thous--- Crack. Less than 0.2 miles. Again, One thousand one, One t----- Crack. We were nearly inside the thunderstorm. The wind howled and the rain came down in buckets. Soon the trail was mud, the creeks overflowing their banks, and we were soaked to the skin despite wearing rain gear. It lasted nearly an hour and stopped just before we reached the shelter. In front of the shelter was a little stream that was now a large and dangerous flash flood river. We couldn't cross the stream on the trail to get to the shelter because of the raging water. We hiked several hundred yards up stream and found a fallen tree over the stream and picked our way across. Isn't Black was there and smiling, he was dry and enjoying the storm. He was just about to leave the shelter and go to town and not wait for me when the storm hit. He was happy he didn't go to town and I was happy he waited. We changed clothes and cooked a hot meal. Shortly, other hikers arrived and the shelter soon was full, forcing Whamo and Cruzer to sleep in their tents.Even though we were wet, it wasn't cold. Once changed into dry clothes, we spent a comfortable night. I re-treated with water sealer my backpack and raincover before leaving Daleville a few days earlier. But I didn't leave my water protection to just that, I also had lined the inside of the pack with a heavy duty garbage bag and put my clothes and sleeping bag in a plastic bag. Multi-layers of water protection and it worked. Everything stayed dry except me.