Date: 2010-04-24
From: Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Just another amazing day on the Appalachian Trail!I was the first one to leave the shelter that morning and I was able to get myself packed up and out of camp around eight. We woke up to a threatening sky, so I started out with my rain jacket on and my pack cover and although we didn¢t hit any major rain this morning, there was a strong and cool breeze and a few sprinkles here and there. Although there was evidence of ponies, I saw none the rest of the day which made me glad I had gone to visit them the day before.I arrived at the next shelter just in time for a snack, but as I read the shelter registry I saw that there was trail magic less than two miles away and decided I could wait another forty-five minutes, and what amazing trail magic it was! When I got to the road there were several hikers already there and two large canopies were set up and a picnic table full of the biggest box of snickers I had ever seen, oatmeal cream pies, cheese and crackers, nutty bars, and everything a hiker could dream of! As soon as I arrived they offered me strawberries with shortcake and a huge pile of whipped cream, mmmm! I¢m pretty sure I consumed an inactive persons calorie quota for a week in the nearly three hours I was there. It was sort of like a mini town, you get sucked in and its difficult to leave. I was finally able to drag myself out at two in the afternoon and I really felt those 3,000 calories as I dragged myself up the 1,000+ foot mountain. My stomach was a bit unsettled so I ended up loosening my waist strap and carrying all my pack weight on my shoulders for the next thirteen miles.The rest of the hike felt very long, although we only had a couple thousand feet of climbing, there were many loose rocks and roots to scramble over and despite being one of the first to leave, I ended up being almost last at the Trimpi shelter with sore feet once again.When I reached Trimpi I was surprised to see Uncle Jay Bird and Fish, apparently they had a maildrop that wouldn¢t arrive in Atkins until Tuesday so they had been taking it slow, they also had found a dog on the trail. Apparently they found it the night before, a poor little hound dog that was so emaciated and weak it could hardly keep his head up. They had tried to bring the dog to the animal shelter that day, but apparently there wasn¢t anything they could do about it until the weekdays. Obviously some good food did it wonders because as soon as it caught sight of Kelly it freaked out and wouldn¢t settle down. I felt really bad when I saw the guys pack up and head out a few miles down the trail, especially since it was just starting to rain. I told them I would keep Kelly down with me, but apparently it didn¢t help. They are heading to Partnership Shelter tomorrow so I¢ll make sure I go anywhere but there!As soon as I got my tent up it started to rain, so Kelly and I huddled inside while I set everything up. I was still pretty full from trail magic so I ended up just snacking for dinner then went up to the shelter to hang out until it got dark which on the trail means its time for bed! I was a bit worried when I got to my tent and noticed my tent was leaking and my sleeping bag was wet. Apparently I missed a spot seam sealing so I¢ll have to get a tube when I get into town. I placed my rain jacket over my bag on the spot that was getting dripped on and went to bed, trying not to worry too much.