Date: 2005-05-18
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: broken clouds

Miles hiked today : 24.023.6 AT miles + 0.4 miles of side trailI woke up this morning at 7:15 a.m. and was packed and hiking by 8:05 a.m. Elkwallow Wayside was 7.7 miles away and other hikers had talked about getting breakfast there, which motivated me to get there quickly. I made the distance in 2 hours, 30 minutes.Looking at the menu, the only breakfast item available was a fried egg sandwich, so I opted for 3 grilled cheese sandwiches and a side of fries. I tried ordering a blackberry milkshake, but was told that the hikers before me had gotten the last milkshakes. So I opted for a bottle of soda and payed $10.30 for my meal. Highway robbery! I sat outside and ate with a group of 5 other hikers, 3 of which I'd just met yesterday (Stick, Flying Turtle, and Wingit). I had arrived at 10:35 a.m. and didn't leave until 12:10 p.m. I don't normally like to take such long breaks early in the day, though when there is a group of hikers conversing and lounging in the sun, I find it hard to leave.It was 5.8 miles to Gravel Spring Hut and I faced my first 1,000 foot climb in many days. Even though the temperature was in the 65~70 degree F range all day and the sky was clear, I had plenty of tree shade, so the climb wasn't that bad. Most of the views during this section of trail were obstructed, though once in awhile, I'd catch a glimpse of the heavily forested valley below. I arrived at the side trail to Gravel Spring Hut at 2:10 p.m. and opted to sit on a rock for a 20 minute rest break rather than hike an extra 0.4 mile round trip to the hut.4.0 miles later, at 3:55 p.m., I arrived at Hogwallow Gap. I took a 5 minute rest break, then continued on. After 10 minutes, I heard a slight rustling noise downhill and turned to see a black bear cub running down the hill. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to snap a photograph. Each time I saw a bear in Shenandoah National Park, I momentarily lost my breath. Seeing a bear, at least for me, was pretty special. Strangely, after 6 days in Shenandoah National Park, I saw 2 more bears than park rangers and I only saw a total of 2 bears.The water at the upcoming shelter was on a 0.2 mile side trail and I knew that I wouldn't want to hike anymore once I was at the shelter. When I arrived at Compton Springs at 5:00 p.m., I took a 20 minute break to rest my feet and to filter/treat 4 liters of water. Essentially I was adding 8 pounds of weight to my pack for the next 3.9 miles, though it was worth it to know that I wouldn't have to worry about water until tomorrow.At Compton Springs, I'd already hiked 20.1 miles and my feet were sore. I was tempted to take the 0.4 mile Compton Gap Trail in 3.0 miles, just before the Shenandoah National Park boundary, to the Terrapin Station Hostel, which is just outside of the park. I really liked the name of the Terrapin Station (because of my affinity for tortoises and the like) and wanted to shower and do laundry, though I also wanted to exit Shenandoah National Park without having to re-enter tomorrow morning to do the final 0.2 miles to the boundary. As such, I decided to save my money for a couple days until Bears Den Hostel. I hit the Shenandoah National Park boundary at 6:30 p.m. and arrived at Tom Floyd Wayside at 6:45 p.m. Just when I thought shelters would be called shelters again, this one is called a wayside. Unfortunately, there are no ice cream or sodas for sale here like the waysides in Shenandoah National Park. I'll be in town tomorrow, however, to pick up my maildrop, so I can get ice cream and soda then.Bedtime at 10:00 p.m.