Date: 2004-10-21
From: Gravel Spring Hut

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

No one else showed up last night, so I had the shelter to myself. Very wet and foggy night and a similar morning. Recovered the food and the garbage bag from the bear-pole, for the last time, since this is my last day in the SNP. The bear poles were very easy to work with. They consist of a tall vertical metal pole with four cross arms at the top, each of which has two large hooks at the end. There is a long hooked pole attached to the side with a chain. You take the long pole and hook your food bag to the end and lift it up, and ¢ this is the tricky part ¢ snag your food bag onto one of the hooks on the cross bar. I had brought a caribiner, thinking that it would make the process easier, but in reality it was just easier to use the strap on the food bag. I found that the hardest part was getting the bags off of the pole in the dark of the pre-dawn. I finally figured out that, instead of trying to hook them on the long pole, it was easier to use the long pole to just push the bags off of the end of the cross piece and let them fall.   After a hot breakfast I dived into the wet and cold hiking gear. My boots had leaked a lot yesterday and they and my socks were still wet. As I was taking off my socks last night my left great toenail pulled completely off - that was the nail that had the subungal hematoma.   Started off wet and cold, and continued wet, but I did warm up in the full rain gear. A quick hike down to SLD and then up and over South Marshall, where I met a young woman out jogging. I don¢t know who was the more surprised, me to see someone jogging in this weather, or her to see someone hiking in it! The rest of the day was up and down, but just before Compton Gap I met a middle-aged couple out for a day hike. They are from western Canada and are touring the country in an RV.   After Compton Gap I met Matt ¢ a young nature photographer who was out hoping for some good shots in the mist. He hopes to hike the AT next spring south to north.      It was not as wet today as it was yesterday, but the heavy mist caused cold water to drip constantly from the trees. I finally left the SNP in a misty gloomy afternoon.      Then it was a steep and rocky descent down here to the shelter. The water is 0.2 miles downhill and when I returned, Mathew, a former Navy helicopter pilot, was here for a rest break. He is heading south and hopes at some future time to work for the Foreign Service.   Today the trail was wet and very slippery. It also had a strong musty smell ¢ rather like tobacco ¢ that I had not noticed before.       So now I am out of the SNP. According to Mathew the trail is OK from here to Harpers Ferry ¢ apart from the infamous Roller Coaster! That is a 13+-mile stretch which goes up and down like a Roller Coaster. Mathew also says that the weather forecast is good for the next few days.   Left a message for KT last night. Tried to call again later but could not get a connection reestablished. I will try again tonight.   The rain has now stopped, but it is still cold and damp ¢ and quiet! Feeling good physically, but the weather is depressing.Thought ¢            When things are bad, remember the good times, and that it could always be worse.