Date: 2007-05-02
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Everyone woke up around 6:30 am and I had to get up as well. When everyone is up and talking; especially about job interviewing, I have to get in the conversation. Mo & Snackbreak, are looking for jobs as they hike and since I have hired hundred's; I had to give them my opinion. I said that when I would recruit and hire; if someone finished the AT: I would see it as a sign of following through with a difficult commitment. On the other hand; I would not make a job offer while an applicant was on the trail. The group all left around 8:30 am, while I took my time. It looked like a hot day today and we were going to try to do 20 miles. I like to almost over hydrate on days like this. I got going and was zipping up and over all the puds the AT could throw at me. It was good to be "back!" That weakness I felt going into Catawba and Troutville had passed. It was not long until, I had passed everyone and left my pack uphill from the .3 mile steep descent down to Bobblets Gap Shelter. I hated going down there; but, I needed water and alot of it on an 85 degree sunny day. I stayed in front of the pack and got down to the swimming hole at Jennings Creek; just ahead of a thunder storm. I went underneath the bridge for Va 614 over Jennings Creek. The first to come down was Iceman Dan. When I saw him; I was kind of in shock. He was limping something terrible. He had a knee brace on his left leg. Now, I have had knee surgery and this 18 year old man should be off his leg or he is going to have some major problems very soon! When you are 18; you can get away with alot more now; but he will pay later. Next came Dirty Blone and then Snackbreak. Mo and Backbend did not show the entire time that we were here? I dipped my thermarest pad into the creek to try to find the hole(s) that had me sleeping on a flat pad since The Rice Field Shelter. I finally was able to mark the holes with duct tape; 4 of them! I did the ordeal of patching the holes. Mo got me a complimentary patch kit at the outfitters when he went there yesterday. As I was doing this; Snackbreak was back to taking her clothes off and I could not help to say, "whew!" Thinking to myself, "what a body!" As she was doing this, Iceman Dan and Dirty Blonde seemed a little uneasy. Then the two women went in and skinny dipped out of site. I began cooking. When they came back; they were calling Dan and I chicken. I said that I was doing chores and dont worry; I was getting in. Dont ever think, liberated women, that ole Zero aint about getting naked. They did not want me to get naked anyway. They just wanted to say that they got naked and us guys did not. Young women these days are used to these young mama's boys raised in a feminist driven society and on the AT; there are so few woman that they begin to get a distorted view of society. Hey, Dallas is a man's world and that is how I live. Im not a male chauvinist, mind you; but, I aint no chump....ok, sorry for the rant. Anyway, we eventually got going up to The Bryant Ridge Shelter in a light rain. Iceman(IceBoy) Dan never got in the water; he said it was too cold? When we got to the shelter; I let Mo have. How could you miss that swimming hole. He said that he and Backbend had been talking and did not think to look under the bridge where we were and kept going. They even heard me shouting and doing my "Tarzan" yell; but, did not want to come back. Well, we all did our evening thing and were happy to have done a 20 mile day. Mo did alot of self disclosure that included me, that I was not sure was a good idea; but, oh well. That is why he is the Jersey Diamond( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2C9oMmwl80 ) This is the url that has the Neil Diamond skit. Now, Snackbreak did several things to make sure that Mo & I knew that she was into Mo; mostly by laying down next to him to sleep. I was real happy for him. From our conversations: I could tell that a friend that is a girl would be good for any case of the VA blues that he might have!