Date: 2018-05-12
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Rocky Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 19.5

Sat. Day 89 5/12 At Raven Rock shelter more hikers came in during the night after we had gone to bed. So the shelter was even more packed. Curtis and I got on the trail by 5 a.m. We got to the Maryland- Pennsylvania border around 7:30. Took us awhile to find which way to go to town. There was no sign towards any towns. We came out at the Maryland-Pennsylvania Park . We finally got picked up hitchhiking. He dropped us right off at Walmart. I plugged my phone in at the subway and went shopping at Walmart. Curtis got all his food together for the week. He plugged his phone in. He hasn't looked at his phone in 4 days. There was a message from his training boss saying that everything was approved. He wants Curtis to start working on Monday. So we took some time figuring out how to get Curtis back to Jersey. By 12, I had uploaded four new segments on my trailjournals. We had organized the ride for Curtis. We spent four and a half hours at Walmart. I headed out into the Noonday Sun. I was back on my own again It was broiling hot, heading to 90+ degrees. I felt like I was baking standing on the asphalt hitchhiking. I was lucky and got a quick hitchhike ride back to the trail. I was surprised when the car pulled over. It was a small car and already had four people in it. Is the wife jumped out and got in the backseat with the two older adult children. The floor was 3 inches of trash and empty rappers. They were wonderful people. Said they pick up hikers all the time. One fourth of July they had a whole bunch of them camping out in their yard.To beat the heat, at every water source I would soak my head. I would wrap a large wet rag around my neck letting cold water drip down the front of my shirt and back. When I do a complete job my pants are getting wet as well. The last 6 miles were melt down hot with no water. My neck rag dried out within the first half-hour. The first mile was a steep uphill climb. There's a reason I don't like to hike after 12 in the hot weather. I was already fried after a mile. It was a more gradual uphill the next 5 miles. It was a hot hard 5 miles. It's this type of situations that makes you wonder why you're doing this. The sweat is in your eyes, your pants are sweat glued to your legs. I am pretty uncomfortable in my journey uphill.I was carrying a liter of water. The next shelter was 0.3 tenths steep downhill and then another a half a mile down hill to water. So I was really not drinking the leiter I was carrying. I was just planning ahead for the next day. I would drink this leiter of water I was carrying in the morning before I took off. I generally try to hike from one water source, drink, camel up, then carry no water to the next water. Hiked a total of 15 more miles and caught up and the crew from last night. There were 2 small shelters at Tumbling Run Shelter. Chimney and three of his buddies filled one. There was a brother and sister and a guy that had too much to drink and was passed out in the other. He was snoring like a freight train. That was my spot right next to him. I threw down my Tyvek. I woke him up. He went right back to sleep. Went back to hang out with Chimney and that crew to socialize. Somebody else came in. He was going to be able to get a spot in Chimney's shelter after they had told me originally the shelter was full. I quickly ran back got my stuff from the other shelter and took that spot in Chimney's shelter. I generiously gave the new guy who just came in the fourth spot in the shelter I just left. I was the one squeezed in as a fifth in the shelter. Two more people came in and both squeezed into that other shelter. The foursome became 6. In bed whether the culture is there's always room for one more in the shelter. The last woman's name was Squeeze. She comes in late and squeezes into full shelters. That's how she got her name. It started raining by 6:30. It rained super hard. Everyone in my shelter was asleep by 7. The other shelter, I could hear them still talkin on into the Night. It's all business with the crew in the shelter I am sleeping in. They're up and gone by 6:30 am at the latest. They understand hiker midnight is 7 p.m. I am impressed with this group because they get to sleep early. My kind of crowd.