Date: 2017-07-20
From: Brink Shelter Tent Site

To: Rutherford Shelter Tent Site 
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

7/20Brink Shelter Tent Site to Rutherford Shelter Tent Site 15.0 milesTotal Miles:  1333.4I slept well as usual and woke up a bit after six.  There was a group of three young hikers I ate dinner with last night, and they were up at the same time.  They were on the trail about thirty minutes later.  I don't know how they do it, as it takes me a little over an hour and a half from the time I start moving to the time I start walking.  Upon completing the last step of my pre-hike preparation at the privy, I met Brad, who was waiting patiently outside.  I've actually spoken with him and his hiking partner for a few days now as they pass me on the trail.  I get an earlier start than they do, but they hike faster than I do.  It was a very nice privy, which initiated the conversation (roomy, clean privies have a way of doing this).  Brad, who does not have an individual trail name, told me that he and his wife were thru hiking as their honeymoon. Later, as he and Nicholette passed me on the trail, I got a chance to talk with "The Honeymooners."  They met at an outdoors store in Gatlinburg and hiked together for three years before getting married on March 25th and then hitting the trail to celebrate.  They share the joint trail name, "The Honeymooners," as they this adventure together. I told them that Sandy and I also went camping for our honeymoon thirty-four years ago, but that out camping/floating adventure was for a week, not for six months.  I got a bit nostalgic and related how I had nonchalantly laid my head back as our canoe slid under a toppled tree on the river,  only to have the canoe get stuck with my head as the plug. Fortunately, a couple of college kids came along a very long ten minutes later, disembarked from their canoe, and pushed our canoe backwards to free my head. I was fine except for some bruising on my neck. Sandy was thus saved from becoming an early widow, and I was saved from being a potential Darwin Award recipient. I concluded my story with the added bit that, due to this misadventure, I added another item to my bucket list. No matter how I end up dying, I don't want people to read about it in the newspaper, shake their heads, and say, "What a dumbsh*t." A man needs to have standards, after all.  The Honeymooners told me they wanted to share this adventure together before they settled into more normal married responsibilities like careers and children.  Being a very proud dad, I told them that having children was the greatest adventure of all and that they would certainly be great parents.  We then parted ways because we all had miles to cover.  A short time later, I came across them again where the AT crosses Culvers Gap at US 206. Unfortunately,  the restaurant up the road wouldn't open for several more hours,  so we all hiked on.  I met up with Mark again, who told me some people were calling him Hobo, but he wasn't sure he liked the name. I replied that there was no sense in adopting a trail name if he didn't care for it. Mark had hitched into Branchville for breakfast and gave me a plum and some honey sticks. I saved a honey stick for Gravity, but the plum was all mine. Thank you, Mark, for the trail magic, and I'm sure you'll obtain a trail name you like. Mark is an older hiker like I am, and I hope to continue to see him on the trail.  A few miles further on, I came across the Culver Fire Tower and climbed it. The views were fine. I am much more at ease climbing such towers now than I was at the beginning of my hike, although they continue to make me a tad nervous. I stopped for water at a stream near Gren Anderson Shelter. The water retained a slight brownish tint even aftering filtering, but I read about this in my pre-hike preparation, and there is no health risk involved. I decided to press on to the pavilion atop Sunrise Mountain before I ate lunch.  This proved an excellent decision, as the pavilion is constructed of stone, including the floor, and was much cooler than the surrounding area. I met up with The Honeymooners, who were also eating lunch.  We were later joined by a group of three young hikers who entertained us by doing pull ups on the beams and making "Sweat Angels" on the stone floor.  These are like Snow Angels, only grosser.  I ate lunch and then took the best nap of the trip. Refreshed, I made pretty good time to Rutherford Shelter, which is reached by a 0.4 mile, rocky side trail. Perhaps because of this, I was the only one at the shelter when I arrived. It is in a compact area with a very pretty grassy area for tents.  I set up camp as thunder started rumbling in the distance.  A few minutes later, a thunderstorm blew in, which I weathered quite nicely in the overhang of the shelter. Just prior to the storm, I was joined by Arun, a very friendly man from New Jersey who is on his very first backpacking trip. In fact, tonight is his first night ever backpacking.  An avid trail runner, Arun and I shared ideas and stories about both endeavors. He will be hiking southbound tomorrow, but it was a privilege to be able to share his first ever backpacking evening with him. He may have even inspired me to try a little trail running when I get home.  Gravity, who was privileged to have to hike in the storm, arrived a bit later. He waited until the storm subsided before setting up his tent. The sky was a pretty blue with some fluffy clouds when I headed for bed before it got dark. This is part of the life of a thru hiker: getting excited about being in bed before dark.  The trail was still quite rocky today but with gradually extended periods of less rockiness.  Rumor has it that I will be through with the rocks soon.  It's been a challenge, but I will be glad to bid them farewell.  So will my feet and my shoes.