Date: 2014-04-07
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

In which I walk farther than intended and have a fight with a rock, a stream and a tree branch...they won.True to form it started pouring some time during the night. I don't remember sleeping very much. I was most concerned about rolling over because I didn't want to inadvertently end up spooning my neighbor or being spooned by my other neighbor in the middle of the night. So I was happy this morning to get up and get going even in the rain.So I did just that. I stopped at the creek and got more water on my way out and hiked through the rain in a tropical feeling forest listening to the sound of the creeks flowing. They all were very swollen this morning after the rain all night long. And did I mention the trail full of mud?! I would have been disappointed otherwise! It also didn't take long for me to take another sliding fall. My foot slipped off the side of the trail in the mud and I gracefully landed on my knee in the mud. I'm getting good at gracefully falling and very glad no one was around to witness another fall.The rain eventually stopped but the wind kept blowing. I was trucking along through the forest on a mission to claim my place in the next shelter for another anticipated night of rain. This next shelter was only built for 5 people and the discussion this morning at camp centered around who was going to push in to Hot Springs and who was going to stay at the shelter. I planned on staying at the shelter so the competitor in me reared it's ugly head and I was on a mission to claim my spot in the shelter. Game on.About mid morning I came to what would have been a downhill creek crossing via one big boulder and a few smaller rocks. With all the rain however, it was more like a fast flowing creek where water covered all the rocks. I positioned my right foot on the big boulder so it would not slip off the rock when I took my next step with my left foot. Before I knew it my right foot slipped off the rock, my right buttocks landed and slid down the rock, I ended up on all four hands and knees in the creek with a tree branch catching my right eye. I sat there briefly trying to figure out what just happened. My glute was throbbing and my eye was stinging. Panicked I popped up quickly to make sure all my other body parts where working correctly. Thankfully they were. So I went about my business of collecting and filtering more water, had a snack and gingerly hiked on with a good shiner to my right eye might I add.That sealed the deal for me. No stopping at the shelter. I am pushing on to Hot Springs with the promise of a ride home for the night. When I summited Bluff Mtn. I made a phone call home. Thankfully I got a signal, my mom picked up the phone and arrangements were made for a pick up this afternoon. That still seemed like a long way away. I walked a little further and found a log to sit on for a quick lunch break. I ate all my bars so I had to stop and pull my food bag out of my pack. I had a delicious wrap made of a tortilla, the last of my peanut butter, honey and 2 crumbled oreo cookies. Yum. It was delicious.It then began to rain and I heard a few rumbles of thunder. I had a pretty good pace going and made it to Hot Springs by 1615. I hiked the entire 8 hours today without seeing one single person. That amazes me! I ran into Murphy and Superscout at the Laughing Heart Hostel, then saw Blue Jay hanging her tent up to dry. After chatting for a bit it was onward to the Outfitter to get a new pack. Mission accomplished just as my parents were arriving to pick me up.I'm now sitting in the car munching on a green apple and dreaming of a hot bath when I get home! Another very long day. I'm feeling a little beat up but life is good! Things could have been a lot worse today!