Date: 2019-04-22
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Laurel Hostel
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

For all of yesterday's trouble, today was a new day. I woke up in the night with my tent alight. Another thing you become very attune to are the phases of the moon. Where recently at Max Patch we had a waxing moon, now after a few days of rain we have a waning moon. The clouds had finally cleared out and the moon and stars were out in their full glory. Having gone to bed so early I was also awake early and the bright moon urged me out. One of the treats of AT hiking is night hiking, but most do it was headlamps. This morning was one of those rare opportunities for another version. The leaves had not yet filled in and the moon was still close to full affording me my favorite experience, hiking by moonlight. Also with a waning moon the sun will come up while the moon is still out so I could seamlessly start my hiking day. I started out about 5 AM in that spooky sort of twilight where everything is clear but also hidden. What eyes might be following me? I took my time and hiked slowly into the dawn up Viking Mountain. At least that seems to be what the locals call it, the sign said Camp Bald. We also passed an area named Jones Field which had no field, just a sea of gnarly mature rhododendron over boulders. There was a special 1.5 mile section of the trail here that reflects thousands of volunteer hours. Carefully placed rocks and boulders were moved to add this amazing ridge walk. I took Leila's pack off her only once so she could more easily negotiate the path. Its when you see this work you marvel at the dedication of the many trail volunteers. Leila's been quite active this outing, bright eyed and bushy tailed and also eating far more than I was used to. I did not have enough food to get her through 2-3 more nights on the trail so perhaps I was rationing a bit. But I have learned the hard way, dogs consider human waste a treat. Thru hikers know to bury their poop. It should be at least 6-7 inches deep and covered. Like most shelters this one had a privy, but someone decided to do their business right behind the shelter. I stopped for a minute to chat with the couple hikers there and she came around the corner excitedly working what looked like peanut butter on her tongue with a decidedly different odor. This is not the first time it's happened. Just gross...gross. Keep that muzzle away from me girl. yuck Thanks to that little experience her enthusiasm waned during the afternoon. She was no longer interested in her food or treats so clearly this had turned out to be a bad experience for her as well. I stopped at Flint Mountain Shelter. The next one on the way and the one most of last evening's hikers expected to reach today. Since Leila's issues with Lilly I decided to add an extra mile or so to avoid conflicts, but then the terrain was especially easy and the lure of a hostel at the upcoming road crossing urged me on. Trail magic by Tam and Torch greeted me at the road with sweets and soda. I had to explain I why I didn't want it. From there I wandered the short distance to the hostel and was convinced to stay the night. Though I had misgivings, a flat bunk sounded really attractive after another long day.