Date: 2013-05-10
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

I slept really well. The snorers were upstairs in the loft of the shelter, and I was downstairs. I woke up about 5:30 a.m. and looked towards the morning light. There was a crimson sky bleeding through the trees. It was both beautiful and ominous, there was sure to be rain. I decided to get up and have breakfast on the rocks behind the shelter while it was still quiet and everyone was still asleep. I watched the sun work its way down the mountain across the valley. It was windy, and it took several tries to get my stove to work. I had breakfast and welcomed the morning. The forecast was for rain, but so far the sky was clear. I cleaned everything up and went back into the shelter to start packing up. The others were starting to rouse. I got my stuff packed quickly and got out. The sun was shining directly in my eyes. I could hardly see where I was going. At one point, I actually wandered off the trail and into a campsite. The smell of cool balsam hung in the air. The ground was still really damp littered with rocks and the ever-present mud. The trail followed under a tunnel of rhododendron (The rhodo still haven't bloomed)and snaked in what felt like a labyrinth. I came out at an intersection of several trails. Beans and Vice came up behind me and kept going. I just followed them without looking at the signs. Within a quarter of a mile, we realized we were off trail. We back-tracked and saw where went astray. I made a mental note to pay closer attention and not follow blindly. There were lots of rocky outcrops that we climbed up, over and through. One rock tunnel was cleverly named "Fatman Squeeze". I encountered three different herds of ponies. A couple of them tried to eat my pack. I had been licked clean of salt yesterday, so they were focused on my clothes and gear. My camera battery died right in the middle of a herd. I had to ward off one eager pony while I dug in my pack for the extra battery. It smelled my food bag and tried to get to it. It had its head buried deep in my pack, and I had to drape a leg over the pack to keep it out while I replaced the battery. This is certainly wild behavior but no the type of "wild" that I was expecting! The lighting and the weather could not have been better to experience the Grayson Highlands. Thank you, Universe!According to the directions, at the start of the day I was only 5 miles from Wise Shelter and the 500 mile mark. But it took me 4 hours to cover those miles, so either my pacing is off or the mileage is off. Either way, I made it! Someone wrote, "I Would Walk 500 Miles," in chalk on the side of the shelter. It was hard not to be excited. Bitter Goat shared a small bottle of celebratory vodka that he packed in. I made lunch and felt giddy. The rest of the day was spent climbing over rushing rivers, passing through pastureland with grazing longhorns (fortunately they were not as aggressive as the ponies- that would have made for some interesting stories), climbing fence stiles and listening to the thunder rumbling in the distance. The sky had clouded over and dark grey thunderheads formed overhead. There were rivers of water where the trail should have been, and I tried like the dickens to keep my feet out of them. It started raining, and I found a large spruce tree to huddle under until the rain passed. I knew I wouldn't be so lucky the second time. I knew I was within a quarter mile or so of the next shelter when the second wave of rain came. I found a tree to stand under, but it didn't offer much protection. I looked hard down the trail and realized I could just make out the side of the shelter about 100 yards away. For the first time in weeks, I ran. The rain started coming down harder. Lightning and thunder were popping and rumbling respectably. I was still mostly dry when I arrived. It was empty. I dropped my pack and watched the rain come down in hard. It puddled on the ground and splattered off the picnic table. I took off my boots and pulled out Snickers Bar (it was solid again, but at lunch time it was contorted into a melted mess). The temperature had dropped considerably. I debated as to where I was going to stay in for good. It was only 3:45, and I still had 5 more miles that I wanted to cover so that I could guarantee Pizza Hut delivery tomorrow night at Partnership Shelter. But to guarantee to stay dry now, or guarantee pizza tomorrow. What to do? Davy Crockett came around the corner and there wasn't a dry place on him anywhere. Some really wet weekend hikers came in as well. I put my boots on and stepped out in the dampness. Lightning popped and thunder cracked right behind in. I stepped back under the shelter and took my boots back off. I was in for the night. St. Croix, K2 Summit, Orion, and Badass showed up looking like they had been dropped in a dunking booth. At least another dozen hikers passed by, each wetter than the one before. But the shelter was full, so they moved on. I made hot chocolate and dinner and was happy that I stayed put. We joked and laughed. The sky made peace with itself, and by bedtime we watched a sunset of peach and indigo ribbons. The air is cool. The wind is blowing lightly in the trees.