Date: 2017-04-18
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Plumorchard Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

I didn't sleep very well last night because I was a bit worked up over the trailjournal site and the fact that my accounts were messed up and my miles were incorrect. If you know me well, you know I am a detail person and I like things to be right. I emailed the webmaster and he assured me we would get it straightened out after the new format comes out in about 2 weeks. So get ready, all of you who write on or read Trailjournals. It's about to undergo a big change. Hope it's user friendly!About 30 minutes into our hike from Dicks Creek it began to rain. A pack cover and a poncho did the trick and we continued on, hiking to Plumorchard Gap Shelter. The shelter was a 3-decker and there were many of us hoping to sleep inside because more rain was expected. I chose the bottom deck...no climbing up ladders for me. However, the second story was not high enough to fully stand up under and it was only minutes until I cracked my head hard on that solid wood platform. Everybody jumped to attention. They said the whole shelter shook. Amazingly, it didn't hurt that much, but my teeth were definitely jarred and I was glad to find they were still all in place. I had no bump or cut, so all was well. Journey chose the top layer, hoping there might be fewer mice up there. She got all her stuff up there, then came down to cook her supper. She found out she was missing something so up that horrible ladder she had to go again. Seriously, it was completely vertical and the rungs were far apart. She said, "I'm going up to get my spoon. I'll be down in 2 seconds." I said loudly, "Journey! Do not be down in 2 seconds!" It brought a good laugh to the group.There were a couple of younger people there, but for the most part Journey and I are in a bubble of an older crowd. The Gipper is hiking with Dynamite. She is 71 years old and about 90 pounds...and faithfully practices her yoga. She flies up these mountains with no problem. Amazing. She and The Gipper met on the trail, hike together, cook together, but sleep on the very opposite ends of the shelter. He was one of the few males in the shelter. Lucky Star is a single gal from Texas and is a free spirit. She sleeps late, takes long lunches, and still beats Journey and me at the end of the day. I really like her a lot. And there's Pam. She's in her 50s and hiking alone. She spent a couple of days off the trail getting a younger female hiker to a hospital for gall bladder surgery and she rescued a young male hiker who had been turned away from a hostel because he was sick. She somehow got him to a hotel. She now says PAM stands for Provider for All Mankind. There's all kinds of good folks out here. The conversation usually goes, "What's your name? Where are you from? How far are you going? Well, be careful! See ya down the trail!"Journey and I look at each other and laugh as we wave goodbye to their backs. The young people out here can hike hard and hike fast. Quote:"To hike this trail you don¢t have to run a 4.40 in the 40 yard dash, or bench a ton. You just have to put one foot in front of the other for 5 million steps. Sounds simple!"