Date: 2013-06-24
From: Stealth camp near Manassas Gap

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: scattered clouds

It took a bit to fall asleep last night. I didn't want the dance of the fireflies to end. The temperature was perfect, so eventually sleep took me over. I awoke at 5:45. The sun was already peaking through the trees. I went back to sleep for a while, and when I awoke a second time, the sun was already well into the morning sky. My knee felt tight. I could tell that I had over done it yesterday. I would pay for it today.We made breakfast and packed up. A couple of hikers passed our site as we set out on the trail. We passed under the interstate. There was a stream listed in the guide as a water source. Redspecs didn't like the look of it. His face twisted in dissatisfaction. There was a house on the corner. He said he was going to go ask them for water. And off he went to start knocking on doors. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot in the grassy front yard. This is not really my style. I hoped to goodness that no one would be home. I got my wish. We went to the stream and filled water. The climb up afterwards hurt my knee. I shifted my knee brace around, trying to chase the pain around my knee. It would help, and then the pain would shift to another spot. I played chase all morning with Redspecs as well. He was feeling good and strong, and I was constantly trying to keep up with him. I was hot and my knee hurt, and for some reason it was his fault. If Tom had been here, it would have been his fault. But he wasn't, so today Redspecs' had the honors. I didn't tell him this, but instead just plodded along annoyed behind him. I found him laying in the grass near an icy spring. It was lunch time, and time for his siesta. I ate gooey peanut butter on a tortilla and tried in vain to soak my knee in the tiny little pool of cold water. I had to kneel down, and that kind of defeated the purpose. Oh well. I took some Ibuprofen instead. Occupy & Helga passed by. They had Aquablazed (and almost drowned when their canoe washed under a bridge), and now they were back to hike the section they had missed. Orion also passed by. I was thrilled to see him as well. As the afternoon progressed a distant rumbling of thunder grew louder and closer. As we entered the Sky Meadows State Park, the big grey clouds moved in. I put on the pack cover. The grassy meadows were hard to appreciate with the thunderclouds and lightning popping directly overhead. I limped along, the distance between R.S. and I grew larger.we crossed the busy US 50/17, the traffic whizzed by. I felt like I was in a game of frogger, and I was the frog. My knee was killing me, so the hill on the other side felt much more intimidating than it would have otherwise. There was some old trail magic at a turn. But an animal of some sort had gotten into it, and it was now just stinky garbage scattered all over the trail. Normally I would have picked it up, but today I just stepped through it. The shelter was busy when we got to it. I was debating whether or not to stay in the shelter or pitch my tent. I was eyeballing a spot on the lower level when another hiker, quite an arrogant bastard, said there was plenty of room up top. I looked, there was room, but my knee hurt and I knew I'd probably have to crawl down in the middle of the night. His stuff was set up and he was sitting in the only vacant spot left. He started a speech, "I've noticed that it doesn't matter how much room there is, people like to crowd together. There's plenty of room up top." I tried say that my knee was hurt and I would step on his head when I tried to climb down to pee in the middle of the night. But instead he said, "Don't interrupt me, I'm not finished." I glared at him. I weighed my options. 1)Sleep next to this jerk just to piss him off, but be pissed off myself. Or 2) Set up my tent, and be free of him and hope someone in the shelter snores like hell all night. I went for option #2. So while he continued on with his speech about how people always sit too close to him, I made a smart ass comment, grabbed my pack and walked away. I found out the next morning that hikers filtered into the shelter all night, laughing, unpacking, etc. Shame on me, but it made me feel a little better.