Date: 2007-06-07
From: Jennings Creek campsite

To: Thunder Hill shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

   Got up to a cool day. I caught myself snoring a couple of times last night. I also had a little bit of a sore throat too. Otherwise I felt rested and ready to go. As I was packing my pack I went to get the food bags. I was vandalized by a mouse last night after it chewed a hole in my small bag and munched my pita bread. Dang mouse!!   I finished packing and was ready to go. It is all uphill today. I started hiking by myself today since the other two had already left. I caught up to The Bag Lady early on the trail and we hiked together for awhile. She has a steady pace and I like it because it helps to keep me from going too fast. She had to stop for a minute but I kept going and saw a deer down the trail. It jumped out of nowhere and was about 15-20ft from me on the left side and did not seem frightened by me. I also saw another doe/fawn today too. It was getting hot and humid and I wanted to get up and over Floyd Mt as soon as possible so I put it into overdrive and knocked it out pretty quick. I was afraid to stop and I felt good the whole way up but I was soaked head to toe once I reached the top. Some days it¢s easy and other days it¢s a struggle going up these hills. Today was easy! I started to cool down some by the time I reached the side trail to Cornelius Creek Shelter. I was surprised to see Luna and Torpedo here because they were always a day or two ahead. It was great seeing them again. They decided to take a zero here and were enjoying a relaxing day. I stopped for a long lunch break, chatted, got water to rehydrate, and rested some. The creek, if you could call it a creek, was pretty shallow but you could still get water. It just takes a bit longer than normal. Since I got here early I decided to move on to the next shelter 5 miles further. I wanted to get ahead today because I expect it to be another hot day tomorrow and that way it will be a shorter day too. I was leaving just as The Bag Lady was arriving and am not sure if she is planning to continue or stay here for the night.    The trail is great when you are on a ridge because there is usually a breeze plus some great views when the trees are scarce. This is the case on Apple Orchard Mt where there are meadows and a radar site. This is a good area to take a break and enjoy the views. It¢s hot out so I find some shade near the fence to try to stay cool. The views are just awesome up here! A short walk later I run into The Guillotine, which is a huge boulder perched precariously over the trail. It¢s pretty cool and I take a couple photos before moving on. I was glad to get to the shelter and end the day. I know I didn¢t drink enough and I tried. The shelter area is surrounded by short trees but there were a couple 6-8in trees near the shelter to setup my hammock. It was perfect because I had a huge rock to stand on to get into the hammock. One end is about 3ft off the rock and the other is about 6 ft above ground. That¢s one reason I love hammocking. You don¢t need level ground! As I was filtering water, another hiker, I can¢t remember his name, came up and I said I would filter some water for him too since I was already setup and ready. The water source is a walled-in spring and is refreshingly cold too. Today was long and hot but enjoyable. Tenting: Handyman, Tony Tiger, Genesis, Mat©, Tree Work. Wx: warm, hot/humid - pm.