Date: 2014-04-26
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Campsite at 600.6
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 45- April 26, Jenkins Shelter to Camp at Mile 600.6, 24.9 miles. For those of you keeping track, our 24.9 miles today is a new PR by two-tenths of a mile! And today we surpassed the 600 mile mark just 6 days after hitting 500 miles. The rain stopped last night after we got in the tent and this morning we got up to clear skies. Also I have no soreness from my fall yesterday so I guess I got lucky on that one. We planned this to be a long day because the elevation guide looked fairly gentle. For the most part we climbed up to a ridge line, hiked on that ridge line and then dropped down to a road. We repeated this several times today. One of the times brought us down to a road that crossed I-77. Boy, were the cars and trucks on that going fast! By and large we had lots of level walking with gentle ups and downs which allowed us to do these big miles. One thing I like about being on the ridge lines is that I get to look down on the rolling Virginia farmland. The fields are green and the red barns and white houses make for a nice contrast. It is a very pastoral scene! I will lose this view when all the leaves come out on the trees but for now I am enjoying it! We were going to stop at a shelter to camp tonight but then we noticed in the guide that if we went another mile we'd find a campsite by a stream and we immediately thought that would give us the opportunity to soak our feet again! Plus the extra mile was mostly downhill! So here we are, with our feet soaking as the tent dries out in the sun! We are very close to a paved road and we can hear when the occasional car goes by. Time for my privy report! Privies are the toilet set ups at most shelters and there has been a great variety of styles and fanciness. Most have toilet seats mounted on top of a large cylinder which sits on a wooden deck over a large hole in the ground. In most cases there have been 3 or 4 walls around the toilet and usually a roof (except for last night which had none of those amenities!). These privies are set up to be moldering or composting privies meaning that after you make your deposit you throw in a handful of leaves or forest floor duff. There is usually a basket or barrel full of this stuff right by the toilet. The theory is that the leaves will help with the decomposition of the toilet paper and human waste. These privies do require some maintenance and we are grateful to the hiking clubs that see to their upkeep. Sometimes depending on the design of the privy, you need to give a,"Yoo-Hoo" as you approach the privy to see if it is already occupied! When we camp away from the shelter, like tonight, we have to dig a cat hole, make our solid deposit and cover it all up. If you click on the Photos tab to the left you can find a photo of me demonstrating the use of a privy (rated PG!). Number one is done anywhere in the woods! Any questions?!! I know you all were wondering about this aspect of backpacking!Tomorrow will be another 20 mile day to another legendary hostel along the trail, Woods Hole. We are looking forward to our overnight stay there. Congratulations to Squirrel's niece who just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! We are so happy for the family and miss being part of the celebration!All is well.