Date: 2013-04-21
From: Fresh Ground V

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

(In which I spend most of the day walking on a ridge)I wake up early to an older hiker, EZ, interacting with Fresh Ground before his resupply trip. Somewhat later I decide to start moving, and as soon as I expose my head from my sleeping bag I am greeted by Lucy, the adopted husky, licking my face. Firehands calls her off, but it seems I was the last of the five to be awakened in such a manner this morning. The rest of the folks that camped out here trickle over to the food tent when Fresh Ground returns and begins cooking breakfast. There are banana pancakes and eggs and bacon and fresh fruit and more welcome breakfast food, all of which are prepared by Fresh Ground and the hikers' donations that keep him going.Just Dave shows up, having camped at the last shelter and started early in the morning as usual. A few other hikers arrive in the morning as some of us struggle to leave. True Brit, who is starting a hostel and wilderness survival school nearby, shows up with a couple folks. Tracker I don't think I have seen since Hot Springs, and Legs is new to me. Barking Spider and Stretch are hiking together and are walking in for lunch. Splinter is also here, having come from the last shelter. After eating a bit of chicken for lunch, I finally push out northbound with Dozer and Funyuns. Firehands and Cat and her sisters leave shortly afterward.I hold to Dozer and Funyuns' fast pace and make rapid progress. At the top of the first climb is the blue-blazed trail named only "Trail Boss" - a curious name for a trail but I don't feel like investigating. I pull ahead of Dozer and Funyuns and then pass EZ, who left town very early and moves slow. Dozer passes me again later, and I catch up to him where the Trail reaches US Route 52. It looks like the Trail crosses the road and goes uphill where Dozer is resting, but instead it follows the road. Dozer waits for Funyuns and I move on along the road.The Trail follows the highway and then takes a side road across I-77. Things get a little confusing here. A lone white blaze is painted in the guiderail were the road turns right and another road goes uphill to the left. I do not see any blazes indicating which way the Trail goes, and I do not see it crossing the guiderail and moving downhill. I drop my pack and scout uphill and downhill a bit before finding a blaze far down the road. EZ is approaching in the distance, crossing the highway bridge as I move out downhill.Once the Trail leaves the road I stop at a questionable stream to refill all my water. There is trail magic left at the trailhead, with a little bit of soda remaining. After this stream, the Trail climbs to the ridge with poor prospects of water. There is a shelter after the first climb to the ridge, but it is far off the Trail and its water source is even farther downhill. I take a break shortly after passing the shelter where I move into some brief shade on the side of the ridge. Then it is a long, fairly featureless walk along the side and top of the ridge.The ridge walk is interrupted by a southbounder. Stonewall started late last year and took the winter off before resuming his hike. He confirms that the ridge is dry until the next shelter. The ridge walk is broken by a gravel road crossing and another Brushy Mountain. Jenny Knob Shelter is on the north side of this Brushy Mountain, and I decide not to push late into the night and set up my hammock here. Dozer and Funyuns have their hammocks set up behind the shelter and I find good trees nearby to set up mine. There are plenty of folks around the shelter but only Just Dave and Wild Blue are camped inside the shelter. All the others are tenting, except for those of us in hammocks.Peace,