Date: 2015-06-03
From: US 60 at mile 807.4

To: Spy Rock Campsite
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: light rain

Well it did not stop raining today, as I said yesterday I hoped it would. It wasn't raining when we started to hike but began about half an hour later and aside from about an hour around lunch time, it rained all day. But, first there was an excellent breakfast at the hostel with scrambled eggs, cheese toast and cinnamon toast, sausage patties and yogurt parfait with fresh peaches, strawberries and bananas. I ate a lot, which came in really handy later.Oma (that's what the owner of the hostel goes by) dropped us back off at US 60, me with my regular pack and Gunner and Good Enough with day packs so they could climb the first mountain without the weight. My pack is pretty light anyway and I sort of planning to carry it the whole way, so I opted out of the slack pack option. Good Enough had asked me earlier if I am a purist about it and I don't really know how to answer that. 'Purist' sounds like I care what other people do and I honestly don't, but my plan is to hike northbound in a continuous way, carrying my pack the whole way. As always, I reserve the right to change my mind! Because the two guys had small day packs, I lost sight of them really quickly when the climb started. It was steep but at least that warmed me up because today was cold! Jester had checked the weather this morning before breakfast and the high today was only supposed to be 57. I don't think it got higher than that either. As it started drizzling, I put my rain suit on, as the suit is actually useful in a drizzle, especially when it's not too warm. But after a few hours, it does leak through. I was getting chilled now, so I changed into my mid weight long sleeve merino shirt. The one that was slated to go back home with Gary this weekend because who would think you'd need it in central Virginia in June?! I think I'll hold onto it, it really helped me from getting too chilled the rest of the day.Also very exciting was the fact that the Good Samaritan hiker who took my dirty water bottle and filter to the next shelter, left it at the shelter sign post right on the AT. This was particularly exciting because the shelter was .5 off the trail and I wasn't really looking to hike an extra mile, but I also didn't want to skip it if there was a chance my filter would be there. I hope I run into the filter carrying hikers again so I can thank them. I know who they are, but not their names.The next shelter was 10 miles away and because it was raining almost continuously stopping anywhere else for lunch was not appealing in the least. So I just hiked on, eating a couple of granola bars on the way. This is why it was so good I had had a big breakfast!By the time I got to the shelter, it was 2:30 and the shelter was packed with hikers who were zeroing there (which looked utterly miserable to me) and more people like me who had stopped along the way. I sat and rested for a little bit, but it really was too cold to do anything but hike or crawl in your sleeping bag, so on I went.I hiked on and off with Mary from Estonia, who kept passing me and then stopping for something or other and then passing me again. She started April 21 so clearly she is much faster than I am. I always seem to be around people that are faster!I knew there was a camp site here and I had it picked as my tentative destination for the day. When it had actually stopped raining when I got here and it turned out to be a large grassy area, the decision to stay here was easy. I quickly set up my tent and cooked some dinner and made some tea, just in case the rain would start up again. And sure enough, shortly after I finished my chores (tooth brushing, bear bagging, blowing up the mattress etc), the rain was back. It's not raining hard and it really hasn't all day, but it is pretty relentless. My clothes are not as wet as two days ago, but I'm still not looking forward to putting them back on tomorrow morning.Gunner and Good Enough showed up a while ago and McFly is probably in the next shelter. They are also planning to start Shenandoah NP on Sunday I think, so I'll probably see all of them again.For now I am once again cozy in my dry tent with my clean clothes (laundry at the hostel), so it's all good. If it could please stop raining tomorrow though! Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?