Date: 2003-06-19
From: Keffer Oak

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Date: June 19, 03Starting Location: Camp spotDestination: Niday ShelterMileage: 8.8Disclaimer:   Many of you have talked about how much you enjoy the fun, exciting details of my hike, while others of you have said that you enjoy the honest reality of the day to day out here. Well, this post is for the second group....if you want to hear nice things, skip todays and tune in to tomorrw, cause I really hope tomorow is better!!   It rained all night, and when I woke up and put on my (still wet) clothes, I just about lost it! I don't even want to know why everything I own smells like ammonia!!   Then...this is how my day started...within the first 20 minutes, we had to climb 3 stiles...never easy, but down right annoying when you are stiff and grumpy! Then 15 minutes of walking through waist high weeds across a cow field. OK, now I am really wet!! Then to top things off.....a thousand foot climb in one mile. Do you know how steep that is??! Oh, and of course, it was raining! When I finally came around a corner to see Bumpkin sitting on a log, I burst out crying. "I hate this!!! I want to be DRY!! I am sick of being wet!... I don't want to quit...I don't want to go home...I just want to be dry!!!". Words cannot express how miserable I was.But you know what, out here, you can be miserable, you can pitch a fit and holler, or you can do like I did, and just sit and sob. But sooner or later, you just have to get on with it. It's not like you can do anything else..so you just start walking.   As the day progressed, I thought things would get better, but then I started falling. Eight times!!!! We were walking on the ridge of the mountain and it involved lots of rock scrambling and bouldering. It was steep and slippery in places, and I could not seem to keep my footing! Tears again. This was ridiculous! The first seven falls were run of the mill "land on your butt" falls. Not terribly painful, but demoralizing as the number started to add up. Then came the eighth fall. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say, I ended up upside down, between two boulders, in a thicket of brambles. Unable to move, I hollered for Bumpkin, hoping no one else was around to see my predicament! It took some doing, but with her help, I managed to finally work my way free.   Basically unhurt, shaken up, and thankful no one else happened along to see two legs protruding from a crevice! Bumpkin, bless her heart, even restrained from photographing me! You will never know the will power that took! :)   After all of that, the last two hours of the hike were uneventful. But, boy was I glad to see the shelter! Pirate and three others are here. The company, some mostly dry clothes, a hot meal...I am almost feeling human. Of course, I am in my tent, and it is starting to rain. If it is raining tomorrow morning, I am going into town a day early, cause I cannot do another day like this one!Never fear, a laundromat, a hot shower, and I will be back to my cheery self! Love, Anna aka Mud Butt------------------------------Local access to PocketMail mobilee-mail now available in Europe, NorthAmerica & Australia http://www.pocketmail.com