Date: 2015-06-20
From: Brinks Shelter

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: overcast clouds

6/20, 19.6, High Point Shelter, birds nest in shelterNo rain, no Maine once again. The day started at 5am with the usual air out sssshhhhhh of my mattress. Everyone in the shelter wanted to get up early so I made that happen. I hiked out under cloudy skies and perfect 58 degree temperatures. The trail is still rocky so today's 25 mile goal was a stretch even if the rain held off until evening like the forecast said. My first goal though was three miles away at the first road crossing, "Joe to Go". The plan was a donut and coffee, and maybe something more and all for just a 50 yard walk off the trail. I arrived at the road crossing and walked to Joe to Go, to find it was closed. Never in the history of time has a higher level of disbelief and disappointment been recorded over so little but keep in mind, there is no fresh food on the trail. I looked up the road to the other businesses clustered there at the end of the lake. A gas station, that just offered gas and no convenience store was the first thing I saw. I walked toward it hoping for at least an outside soda machine. Nope. Next was a steakhouse and Gyp's Tavern both of which were closed. Beyond that was a bait store/fishing outfitter and if my eyes were correct the open sign was lit at 7:30. I walked to the bait store and stepped inside hoping for a fisherman snack rack and soda cooler. I hit the jackpot half way back in the store when I spotted the drink cooler. I selected a Mt Dew and an Ice Tea, purchased them and opened the Dew before leaving the store. The storekeeper noted my disappointment over the coffee shop being closed and said it had recently been sold and was being remodeled. He also had no idea how many thru hikers there were until it was closed, and they all came to his store looking for drinks. Who knew?I finished my Mt Dew and yogied him into tossing my bottle, and my hiking trash in his garbage. Remember, yogiing is basically expressing your need in a general way leaving anyone within earshot to offer what you want. I simply asked him if there was a trash can or dumpster where I could toss my trash and he offered to take care of it for me. I walked back to the trail and met Sweet Eyes just as he was experiencing the Joe to Go letdown. He decided the walk was not worth just a drink so he ignored the bait shop and headed up the trail ahead of me. He had skipped breakfast, counting on Joe, so when I arrived at the hilltop he was sitting at the picnic table next to the radio tower. Many hilltops have radio substations and many of those have a picnic table outside the fence for hikers. It makes a nice spot for a break to have a table to sit at so Sweet Eyes was enjoying his breakfast there. I went on not waiting for him to finish since I knew he could catch me as soon as we started climbing again. As with most younger hikers his pace is virtually one speed no matter the incline. I hiked on heading for a shelter 12 miles away for lunch but soon it was threatening rain. I donned my pack cover just in case and sure enough the rain started about 9:30. It was a light rain so the forest canopy kept most of it from hitting me directly making the hike pleasant and not a soaker. In some places it didn't even appear the rain had wet the leafy trail but the bushes and trees were wet as was anything, like arms and legs, that brushed by them. The temperatures had only increased to low 60's, remaining there all day, so being wet could be a concern. Nevertheless my Marino wool shirt keeps me warm even when wet, and hiking is a body warming activity at any temp. I stopped for lunch at the shelter as planned and thought Sweet Eyes would finally catch me as I ate. There was a ridge runner there leaving some bottled water in the bear box for hikers to refill their bottles. This particular twenty miles of trail has virtually no water on the trail so it is nice that the ATC provides that at times. The ATC employs ridge runners to hike the trail counting thru hikers, teaching leave no trace practices and picking up trash along the way. 30 minutes later lunch break was over i still had not seen Sweet Eyes so I walked out during a lull in the rain. The rest of the day was hiking up and down some gradual hills punctuated two times by vertical rock scrambles and one near vertical downhill over the slippery rocks. I managed to keep from hurting myself but it wasn't for lack of trying slipping several times on rocks and once even on the leafy trail. Sweet Eyes never did pass me and I reached the decision point at 3 pm. The decision point is determined in each days plan as the point at which the day could end if here isn't enough time or energy to finish as planned. It is usually the shelter before the planned endpoint and today High Point Shelter was that point. I hiked in planning to take a short break and hike on to an unusual overnight listed in our guide. It is called the Murray Property and is described as a private cabin left unlocked for serious thru hikers. There is a shower and room for four to sleep so I have made sure to know if anyone passed me. To this point I knew of only one other hiker ahead of me. It may be that my hiking pace was enhanced by this factor that accounts for Sweet Eyes not passing me. I packed up and headed out of the shelter and encountered Haiku on the path. He asked if I was headed for Murray and when I said yes he wanted to be sure I knew there were already five people ahead that he knew of headed there. I turned back to High Point and claimed my spot in the shelter and waited for Sweet Eyes to hike in. Around 4 pm he arrived, just after Kilroy whom I had met back in Virginia south of the Shenandoah Park. Upon hearing about the crowd headed for Murray he decided to stay put as well. It was a little early to stop but with twenty miles in for the day, and twenty to go tomorrow it is good to keep the tent dry, reducing pack weight. We let our clothes dry wearing them as long as we could stand, but soon were putting on dry clothes to keep warm as the early evening temps began to decline. We cooked first dinner at 5 knowing a second dinner may be needed to keep warm. I ended up OK with one, and some hot coffee and a peanut butter wrap, but Sweet Eyes and Kilroy had second dinners. Neon hiked in around 7 and joined us in the shelter regaling us with stories of her cheeseburger breakfast at the Tavern, by Joe to Go, when they opened at 9. We were OK with that since the three of us had met and been handed trail magic by day hikers that she had missed hiking so late. The Trail just seems to work those things out. Tomorrow we hike out of here in the remnants of the tropical storm drenching the central and eastern half of the country, which is supposed to be heavy rains all morning until around noon here. We plan to hike 20 miles to Vernon New Jersey where there is a church hostel that provides bunk, shower and laundry for a suggested 10 dollar donation. We definitely want a couple of those 12 available spots, but as long as the rain stops a tent in the church garden with shower and laundry is not a bad choice either. Vernon also offers several nice inexpensive real food options so our anticipation has already begun to growl in our stomaches!Silverback