Date: 2014-05-09
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: broken clouds

I stopped at Lost Mountain Shelter for lunch today at 1:00. I ate then did an assessment of the situation and decided to take the afternoon off to blog, snack and relax. Signs are pointing to some weather developing this afternoon but there has been no phone service for 24 hours so I can't confirm. First it was a red sky at morning, then I heard a rain crow, and for last few hours, clouds are building up as well as a breeze. I planned to do the side trail to White Top mountain and then go to the next shelter which could be about 15 miles. But the common sense part of my brain is reminding me that since I have done 16 miles, 10 miles and 7 miles so far this week, I should give the body a rest. (I hope there comes a big thunderstorm this afternoon for me to enjoy from the comfort of this sturdy log shelter.)I drank a lot before bed last night, so I had to get up several times. When I get out of the tent or shelter after dark I get a chance to look at the moon and stars and check for any animals roaming about. Last night I noticed the moon is about 50%. After the moon sets for night I can see the stars more clearly (and much clearer than in the city.) Also I heard an animal walking around just beneath the edge of the grassy knoll of the shelter and I surmised it to be a deer. Next time I was out, I also heard footsteps and while I was listening and peering into the shadows, I made a sudden movement by pulling up my shirt sleeve. This caught the animal's attention and it made some sort of snorting sound as if to say, "I don't like you being here." Then I heard it running away with a sound more like hooves than padded feet.(It has just started raining a little. Enough to hear the drops on the tin roof and to smell the freshness of the rain.)As I left the shelter this morning, I had the choice of taking the north blue blaze out of the shelter but I took the south one back out that I arrived by. I thought, "I might miss something." That something turned out to be a rhododendron with its blossoms fully opened and one with a bumblebee in it. I have been waiting for this since March 11 when I started the trail. First there was no sign of budding and often they had their evergreen leaves curled up as it was cold. Then in last three weeks I have started seeing buds forming. This appearance came at a good time for me today. I had just been bemoaning the sound of a lawn mower drifting up from the valley. I think it must be a symbolic reminder that spring is here, especially at the lower elevations. Normally, I am eager for spring's arrival but for me it means a different world in the forest. I rue the passing of the visibility of the open forest floor and below freezing nights to hibernate in my cozy sleeping bag.The trail dropped back down to follow the Virginia Creeper Trail for awhile before turning back up the mountain right after the Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge. The bridge is actually a high and long trestle on the rails to trials creeper trail. It is so high that it was on the same level as the lower limbs of the adult poplar trees. I think the creek is called White Top Creek which is what I shall name it anyway. I enjoy the music of the rushing water and of the cascading falls of the water coming out of the hollers. I have seen lots of little streams today. Somedays I go for miles through a dry area. I always have to be planning ahead by keeping an eye on the water I have and by reading AWOL guidebook for the availability of water ahead.