Date: 2008-05-22
From: A. Rufus Shelter

To: Brown Fork Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Throne with a ViewA.Rufus Shelter to Brown Fork Shelter Stopping for breakfast and showers at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) 17 milesIt was a tough day. Sleep was jacked up too. Everyone in the shelter was snoring loudly. This normally wouldn't phase me one damn bit; however, I happened to be sleeping next to MadMtMike who kept poking me all night to try and get me to stop snoring. Actually, he was trying to get everyone to stop but I was the one next to him. I need to get him some earplugs or something. All night I'd be awakened by his poking finger, even when Longtoe, who was on the other side of me, was snoring, Mike would poke me. I finally grumbled, "Mike, it isn't me!" At one point, I heard him yell out, "OK! Everyone stop snoring!!" I think it was answered by Cubit letting out a long, gurgling blast. I was just laughing, except for the fact that I couldn't get any sleep while Mike's poking finger was at work. Shortly after that I heard Mike making a bunch of noise; a cacophony of zippers and rustles and grunts. Some time later I rolled over and he was gone. That cat split the shelter to go sleep in the grass and he didn't even have a tent! Wow! We shouldn't have fed him all those marshmallows. In the morning he was pissin¢ and monain¢. At least it wasn't just me, everyone was snoring. What do you expect? We're roughing it!We got on the trail to go down the 0.8 mile to the NOC where we had breakfast and I tried to upload GPS logs, but they wouldn't work. I was getting really irritated at the situation. We packed up and went to go take some showers. I washed some of my clothes while I was in the shower and Cyclone was on a conference call. Our clothes dried in the sun and we got on the trail late, around noon. It was a mother of a hike too; the hottest day yet. I bonked hard on the Cheoah Bald climb. I hate it when that happens. You're chuggin' along and suddenly it seems like the world is about to end and your chest is exploding and you can't breathe and sweat is pouring out of you like you just jumped in a lake. We took a little break and I gathered my composure before the summitLater that day we got the marvelous opportunity to climb a hill that was unbelievably steep. You could reach out and touch the ground in front of you as you climbed. Cyclone and Rolex kept calling out for switchbacks. Cyclone was trying to analyze at what steepness of grade the trail maintainers thought it was appropriate to start using switchbacks.We finally got in to Brown Fork Shelter and it was packed. There must have been twenty tents around the shelter. We arrived after nightfall and I set up my hammock in the dark while Cyclone and Rolex cooked dinner; spaghetti again. We've really got this Spaghetti thing down pat. They have been sleeping in the shelter mostly and I have been out in my hammock tent. I don't have a nice, thick pad to put under my sleeping bag so I'd rather freeze in my tent than sleep on hard wood floor in the shelter, especially after the Snoring Incident last night.We broke out the rest of the marshmallows and Cyclone and I had toasted, white dessert while Rolex talked to his girlfriend on his cell phone out by the privy; which, by the way, had no walls. All it had was a roof; just a throne in the middle of the woods with a great view of the mountains, the trees, the birds, oh yeah and all of the hikers cooking breakfast. Hey! Somebody pass me the paper will ya?David AKA "Jukebox"Website:http://www.brotherproof.comBlog:http://brotherproof.blogspot.comPictures:http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofFilm:http://www.youtube.com/wbaf1Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/brotherproofDavid's Website:http://www.davidpatrone.com