Date: 2015-05-19
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

I am tired. I feel like I won't even be able to remember what happened today.I woke up early and got up to pee. Of course there were tons of people at Bobblets Gap Shelter (by the way, I think that name is hilarious) last night, and the shelter is right next to the stream, so I couldn't scoot right out of my tent and pee nearby. I had to trek to the privy, carefully navigating tent city and trying not to trip over stakes.I pulled on the privy door and met resistance. OOPS! Was someone in there?! So early?! I tried again. It felt like it was locked from the inside. I embarrassedly snuck back to my tent and bandaged my feet. Later I went back when I KNEW it was empty and had to tug hard to get the door open. It was probably empty before. Just dumb as always.My tent was SO WET this morning. Even the inside was soaked. All that moisture I lose while I sleep... gross. Like I don't sweat enough during the day.I packed up lazily and slowly then sat anand waited for Chris, stretching and enjoying the morning breeze. It was very pleasant, the wind rustling the trees as the sun crept up. So pleasant I almost fell back asleep on Bertha. I managed to keep it together, though. Gotta hike!So we left and I was barely awake for the first miles. Chris and I chatted a little in the morning, enjoying easy miles, crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple more times. Oh! Yesterday I took a picture of a HILARIOUS wayside about the AT on the parkway. The information was out of date and the pictures of hikers were old and ridiculous. Old packs, pigtails, baseball caps... I took a picture with my camera (mom's camera) and hopefully can upload it eventually.At one point we passed the parkway and read a sign warning that the next shelter lacked a water source. Really? I should pay more attention when I look at the guidebook in the morning... Luckily I had plenty.The first shelter stop was also a snack stop. I am loving the placement of shelters lately. Our arrivals coincide perfectly with my tummy's hunger pangs. I ate an Odwalla bar from Alexa amd picked M&Ms out of my trail mix. Chris makes fun of me for this. I make fun of him for constantly eating peanut butter.I checked my phone for service and let mom know I wasn't dead. I also checked the weather. Chance of afternoon thunderstorms, but a cool, clear night ahead. I was psyched. Maybe I would be able to tent without my rain fly for the first time. I am always stuck in cold or wet, but here was an opportunity to potentially see the stars!Next we came to the swimming hole. My desire to be clean battled my desire to not freeze my ass off. Who would NOT want to go swimming, though?! Luckily Chris did, too. I happily paddled around, scrubbing my skin and clothes. It was refreshingly brisk (a little bit freezing) but I LOVED it. I left so much gross sweat and grime in that water.It was a really pretty spot. There were a gazillion tadpoles and butterflies everywhere. SO PRETTY. As I was digging around in my bag for dry socks, Chris asked, "Lunch time?". Clearly he thought I was going for my food bag.I am not one to turn down an opportunity to eat, especially at a beautiful swimming hole instead of a crappy gross shelter. I happily agreed and shared some of my quinoa and veggies. Chris had peanut butter. In a tortilla. With trail mix, which he had eaten the M&Ms out of. And he judges me...AND THEN CAME HELL. A BIG UP, AND A BIG DOWN. A nice hill separated us from the next shelter. What fun that was (NOT). Oh well, at least I got to be clean for like ten minutes.Shelter stop number 2 of the day was Bryant Ridge Shelter. It was PALATIAL. Huge! Two stories! With a porch! The book says it can sleep twenty people, but that seems like a conservative estimate. It was pretty cool. We stopped to rest and psych ourselves up for the next climb.Yes, another climb! That's how I got to end my hike today. Five miles from Bryant Ridge to Cornelius Creek, and mostly uphill. FIVE MILES. I SWEAR, SOMETIMES I HATE HIKING THIS GODDAMN TRAIL. It felt like it took forever. As I panted along behind Chris, I told myself, "I AM GOING TO EAT AS MANY M&Ms AS I WANT OUT OF MY TRAIL MIX TONIGHTY AMD I AM NOT GOING TO FEEL BAD!". I think Chris was almost as frustrated as I was at the climb.There wasn't even a nice view or anything at the top of the stupid mountain as a reward. Just half a mile of toe-crushing steep downhill.The good thing was that we made it to camp pretty early. I wrung about a liter of sweat out of my hiking clothes. And let me tell you, there is nothing quite like wringing a day worth of sweat out of your sodden panties. TWO mountain-climbs worth of sweat. Hand sanitizer was liberally applied after this fun task.After draping my disgusting clothes over a convenient rhododendron branch and hoping they might dry even just a LITTLE, I aired out my damp tent and pitched it without the fly (yay!). I lazed about a lot, too. It is nowhere near as crowded as last night. Maybe people decided to stay at the palace instead of climbing that monstrous hill this afternoon.Chris and I usually operate independently at camp, going about our separate business. I was an introvert tonight. I am so tired. I did bring my hot cocoa over to the picnic table and chatted a little, though. Nothing Yet complimented Chris's beard while I was signing the register, so I added a nice beard scale drawing (from clean shaven to super hairy beard king).Time for bed! I am hoping for some stars!I am thankful that I KILLED that hill, that I got to go swimming, that Chris isn't sick of me yet, that taping my feet has been working out well for me the last couple of days, and that my belly is full and my sleeping bag is ready for me. I am thankful for the trail, my ability to be here, and the fact that I am not working at some terrible sad job tonight but am out in the woods, in the air, LIVING.