Date: 2005-04-04
From: Fontana

To: Mollie's Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

7pm Well, I did it. I escaped Fontana. It was, all things considered,surprisingly easy. I just jumped in the shuttle, and headed north; I suspect thatit was the whole 'south-bound' thing that was exacerbating both the trail gods andthe meteorological deities. Today was be-utiful. The trail was rough, but theweather was gorgeous: blue skies in the morning, a light cloud cover rolling in lateafternoon. But, the trail whooped my butt. I hit the wall, that last 1/2 mile. Idon't encounter it that often, but when I do -- BAM. Those 4 days in Fontana caughtup to me, w/o a doubt. My trail legs are noticeably absent. I just hope they findme tomorrow; it was tough, that final climb up to Mollies Ridge. But, thetrail wasn't as bad as I had expected, after the reports of 3-foot snow drifts. Notthat it was particularly pleasant, b/c it was a muddy, mushy slog once you got pastShuckstack. But, it wasn't a river. That's not to say that I didn't get dirty, !b/c I most certainly did. The backs of my legs were plastered and speckled w/crusted mud. And, my soes are caked w/ dirt. Yes, I crammed my fee back intothose toe-pinching nemeses of mine. 10 toes immediately cried out in protest. But, I knew what was coming, I knew the trail would be a sloppy wet mess. And, Iat least wanted to give my feet a chance (maybe only an ice cube's chance inhell, but a chance nonetheless) of staying clean and dry. Thus, the trail runnerswere donned, and the sandals relegated to my pack. I must say, my feet didstay considerably cleaner than they would have otherwise, and they remainedrelatively dry. And, I'm also hosting a new blister on my left pinky toe. Hurrah. Just a few more days, until we get out of this mudbath. Then, the sandalsshall return to their rightful place.Shuckstack was, once again, awesome. Fabulous views. Also incredibly windy. Ihung out there w/ Gypsy Lulu and G for quite a while. Two turkey vultures circledbelow us, and Gypsy commented that it was pretty amazing to be looking downon the flight of birds. A manmade aerie above the avian ones.Despite my exhaustion, today was a great day. Since I've (temporarily) parted waysw/ Cuppa Joe and Break (who zeroed today), I wasn't sure what my hiking arrangementswould be for the day. I started across the dam w/ Kutsa. Then, as we began our2000 foot climb, I caught up to Gypsy and we hiked for a while. After a snack inShuckstack tower w/ G, I stumbled across Jake Brake and Low Gear, breaking forlunch. Sounded good to me, so I dropped my pack and joined them. I was sandwichedb/t that pair for a few miles, before we encountered Bruce Spruce and G, on anotherbreak. Off came the pack once again. Bruce Moose joined the siesta, and eventuallywe headed off. The guys lost me, as I ran up against the wall of empty fuelreserves. But, I slogged my way up that last, interminable bump. And now, after alovely hot meal of Annie's mac 'n cheese (mmm, mmm good), I feel rejeuvenated. Well... I still feel tired, but not hovering-on-the- edge-of-collapse tired. Just!plain tired. (Cuppa Joe and Weatherman were a musical duet last night, so I didn'tsnag much sleep.) I opted to tent tonight, as the shelter was almost full. Closeto 25 folks here tonight. Here goes: Me, Serenity, Freedom, Thatch, Browie,Souleman, Montreal, Kutsa, Jake, Chuck, trip, Turbo Joe, Domino, Bruce Spruce,Bruce Moose, Phoenix, Butterfly Moon, Red Hat, Double Healer, Hopeful, Rainman,Firestarter, G.Alright. Sorry this entry was sort of blah blah blah. But, I'm whipped. And readyfor bed. Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow. It is what it is. And it will bewhat it will be.