Date: 2017-08-17
To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Crazy Larry gave me a parting gift¢a beaded necklace with ¢AT¢ etched in the flat bead at the center bottom. I had originally no intention of staying at this hostel, mainly because I had heard it was a ¢party¢ hostel. Had it not been for One Up being there, I could well have been at a different place on the other side of town. I saw no sign of the ¢crazy¢ in Larry¢s hostel. He was a gracious host and did not hesitate to witness to his guests about his transformation after accepting the Lord as his Savior. Quite a story.I had breakfast at MoJo¢s¢a huge bagel smothered with cream cheese and a cheese omelet. The carbs and protein gave me the push I needed to get back on the trail. The sky was overcast, and two gentlemen who were planning a bike ride that day confirmed that the forecast called for rain. At least I would start the day dry. I left my Danner boots in the hiker box at the hostel¢they were too waterlogged and mildewy to continue wearing. In their place, a pair of Oboz that I got from the outfitter¢s FOR FREE!!!! These were new hikers that were returned by the purchaser due to fit issues, and the store could not re-sell. I bought insoles, and left the store with new, dry hiking shoes. Now, the test would be whether they would be trail-worthy. I had no doubt they could not be worse than the beat up Danner¢s, which served me well when they were dry.An occasional breeze broke the dense, humid air, but the rain held off!! I wondered whether I would cross anyone¢s path, when out of nowhere, ¢Greeter¢ appears. Greeter, so named because he stops to chat with all hikers, was completing the final 500 mi of his Southbound thru-hike.  We shared experiences for a few minutes (he posted his chat on you-tube, under Greeter¢s 2017 AT thru hike, day 146¢One Up is at the beginning of his video, and I am toward the end) before going our separate ways. The climb was challenging enough with its rocky terrain, but then I came to a detour sign. A bridge was being re-built, so the official AT trail diverted around it. I could only hope the detour did not add miles or difficulty to the hike. At least the detour was well marked, and took me to a stopping point on the VA Creeper Trail, a 34-mile bike trail that followed the path of a former railway. I took advantage of a bench to eat my lunch¢spam slice in pita, a chunk of cheddar cheese, a handful of Combos pretzel snacks, and a cup of applesauce, all from a recent resupply outing in Damascus. I eat well the first few meals after resupply, partly because it¢s there, and partly to reduce the weight I have to carry. I love the applesauce snacks, but they don¢t travel well in a backpack¢bulky with a thin top seal closure that is susceptible to puncture¢so I try to eat those as soon as possible.  I hurried through the lunch break, because I was surrounded by bees who also wanted a share of the sweet treat. I tossed the remnants of my lunch in a handy trash container, grateful that I would not have to carry it with me, and continued to follow the detour, which didn¢t seem to take me too far out of the way before returning me to the rugged uphill climb. As usual, the last two miles of this stretch seemed more like 20 miles, and Greeter¢s report of a challenging rocky section and monster climb was spot on. By the time I had summited, I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest, but in fact the elevation had only been a few hundred feet.  At least I made it with daylight to spare.The shelter was nice, and the surrounding area was flat. Water was easy to get to, and a cord was already hanging down from the perfect bear-bag-hanging tree. I was getting comfy and decided to leaf through the register. One Up left me a message. Not sure she knows how much I looked forward to seeing her notes; they were special gifts for me. Other comments in the register focused on black snake presence at the shelter. Hmm, if there are black snakes, then maybe no mice. Which would I rather deal with? I almost set up my tent, but the threatening sky made me reconsider, and I settled in for the night in the shelter. No company--just me and the snakes that I was sure would find their way into my sleeping bag by morning. They didn¢t.