Date: 2005-09-22
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night, I didn't sleep well. At 12:30, I woke up to a mouse chewing on my hair. (My hair really does "look like a rat's nest.") And that was the fourth time that something had awakened me. I continued to wake up roughly once an hour, if not due to noises then due to the hardness of the sleeping platform in the shelter. At least I have picked up the ability to fall asleep again immediately after each incident. (I do remember having a dream about a hair salon after the mouse episode.) I heard an animal pacing around and shaking my water bottle on the picnic table, but didn't even bother to look to see what it was. I had set my alarm for 6:15 so I could start my marathon-distance hike at daybreak, but I woke without it at 6, and got on the trail at 7. It wasn't cold, but there was a dense fog, which made everying look new and interesting. I made several attempts to capture it in pictures. My first surprise of the day was an early fork in the trail indicating an "exposed ridge trail" or "bad weather route." I took the former, and found myself grappling with boulders and hopping from rock to rock. After a couple of miles, there was a nice view from the ridge, but the fog limited visibility. The ridge trail was so hard that I didn't make 6 miles until 10am. So much for that 27-mile pace! But I pressed on with that goal still in mind. I passed 2 "endangered species nesting areas," but don't know what species I should have looked for. I also scared about 10 grouses from trees, and saw two turkeys jump over a nearby log. The trail had numerous ups, downs, and turns, and eventually came to a road crossing, where I promptly got lost. I rambled across the road into a meadow, but the trail faded into nothing, and I had to retrace my steps. There was a signpost by the meadow with 3 white blazes on it - one pointing into the meadow and two on the side of the post. I didn't know what to make of it. My salvation was a property boundary sign with some kindly pen annotations written between the words. They said something like, "AT, go right! Yes, that way!! Not through the meadow." Thanks to the anonymous graffiti artist, I found my way again. I made it to the next shelter at 12:40, feeling tired. In fact, I was starting to dislike the trail again. I pushed on for a few more miles, then sat down on a log. I usually walk through the whole day without sitting down, so this was a sign of defeat. I decided to cut my mileage for the day to 21, then I felt better. In one bizarre moment, I walked by a half-dead mammal that I couldn't identify, covered in flies. For once, I was able to take a close-up picture, since it couldn't run. I'm looking forward to finding out what it is later on. (Update: it's a baby raccoon with surprisingly brownish color and long legs.)I got a second wind late in the afternoon after spooking a section hiker by accidentally sneaking up behind him, then talking to him and realizing he was having a harder time of it than me. But I still called it quits short of the original 27-mile goal, at Hogback Ridge Shelter at 5pm. I'm now ensconced in my tent, reclining with my feet elevated on my backpack, and it's only 7:40pm. This is the life. If I still want that marathon-mileage day, I can shoot for Erwin tomorrow...but I'm not going to set my alarm, and I'll see if I can sleep through the night for once.