Date: 2007-06-17
From: Jug End Road

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: few clouds

It's Sunday night at about 8:15. I'm at the Tom Leonard Shelter, sitting outside on the tent platform. I miss Steve. This is always so hard the first night out.I was excited to be getting back on the trail this morning. Steve and Scout came with me and hiked in about 4 miles. We started at about 10:30 a.m. and he hiked with me almost all the way to Route 7. The first section was mostly flattish. We went alongside fields, through some wooded areas and across a swamp. Through one of the wooded areas the mosquitos were very bad. We stopped and sprayed each other with neurotoxin and were glad to have it.Steve turned back about 1 p.m. I continued on. The trail stayed open and flat for awhile after that, but it soon entered the woods. The terrain was varied, with quite a few rocky, steep bits. I got to the Tom Leonard Shelter around 6:30 p.m. It was about 10 miles today. It was starting to seem like a long ways the last couple of miles, but mostly I feel pretty good and like the 10 mile hike was o.k. - like the 10 miles was a good amount to do.I got to the shelter, pitched my tent next to it, and looked for water. I was looking for the water when I found the sign for the privy and the tent platform which was a much nicer place to tent so I picked up the tent and moved it over here. I'm sitting up on the ridge, looking out over the valley as the sun goes down. It's not too buggy up here either.I couldn't find the water so I looked in the shelter log and somebody had been kind enough to give better directions than were in my trail guide. It was about a quarter of a mile down a steep hill past the privy. It took me about an hour to get set up and get water. Then I sat here and ate. I still have to pump up the air mattress and climb in. I pulled a small tick, probably a deer tick, off my leg, which is a little scary. He didn't seem to be quite attached yet. I just pulled him out with my fingers and couldn't see anything still left in my skin. You're supposed to use tweezers and save the tick, but my instant, "Ooh, tick! get it off!" reaction kicked in.The first night out is always a little hard for me. I'm a little down. Mostly, I'm just a little lonely. It's nowhere near as bad as the last time, though. Maybe because I know this is only 75 miles, or about a week. Right now I'm looking at a beautiful red bird. I don't even know what it is. It's not a cardinal. It's got black wings. Today when I was walking up the hill and I was sweaty and covered with bug bites and DEET, I was thinking that the only reason to be out here is for the sheer joy of it. It's really quiet out here right now. All I can hear is wind and bugs and birds. I'm actually very happy. (Except for that mosquito that's bombing my ear!) I find joy in a lot of things in my life, but walking out here fills my soul in a different way. I don't think about and worry about the things that I fill my head with at home. Even though its hard sometimes, I think what I find out here is peace. I'm also really pysched by the changes in my body and how strong I'm getting.   The song of the day is "Goodbye Stevie" by the Spencer Davis Group.