Date: 2012-06-07
From: Stealth Camp just past Toms Run Shelter

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Well how much do I love Huff and Puff? Enough to set my alarm clock for 6am. Mornings are though. I was motivated to try to catch them before they left the hostel and was booking it down the hills. Got to pine grove furqance park andhaunted the hostel trying to figure out if they were there before finally having to give up. Instead I was feeling hungry from my morning hike and decided to wait for the general store to open and accept the half way half gallon challenge! Basically you have to consume a half gallon of ice cream in one stting. And not those fake half gallons that are actually a quart I mean the giant tubs of this stuff. My stomach said no, but my competitive nature said YES. Cookie dough ice cream you and me are about to face one another. Or well I guess tecnically I'm stuffing you in my face. So I sat there with two legs as we both slowly consumed our half gallons. Did I mention it was 9 in the morning? Soooooo much dairy. The last two bites were a real struggle but I manned up and toughed it out to th end. Alpo joined us and I realized the boys have a much easier time packing thisaway than I do.   Challenge accepted, mission accomplished, desire to puke present, success!I wandered over to the new AT musuem and enjoyed that while I letmy body adjust to the recent onslaught. Really cool musuem that put things in perspective in a big way. Earl shaffer, the first guy t ever officialy thru hike did the trail back in a tme when there were no guidebooks and most of the trail was rather poorly marked. In fact it took a long time before anyone would even believe he'd accomplished it since it seemed such an impossible thing. Then there was the awe inspiring gradma gatewood who at the age of 79 took to the trail as the second ever thru hiker with her canvas hightops on and a burlap sack over her shoulder. She never carried more than 20 pounds so not only was she the oldest and the first woman thruhiker, she was also the first ultralighter. How's that to make me fel like an utter sissy with all my high tech gear,my detailed trail guide and my fancy trqail town setups. Okay girl put you head down and hike. So nice to ead about all of these notable figues and appreciate all the work that hasgone into making the trail what it is. Everyone should visit it if you get the chance. Good normal trail out o th park and met a ridge runner for interesting conversations. I totally burpped up the taste ofcookie dough all day long and felt the overdose of lactose courseing through me. So I was making great time, plugging away t the miles, singing the same old tunes and thinking the same old thoughbts to occupy my brain when of course a thunderstorm rolls over me. And asall thunderstorms are prone to do it hits me just as I'm at th highest point of the day in the mostexposed location. Been here before bring it on. Of course all that rain came don hard soaking me. It also made for fun times going thrugh a section of trail called the rocky maze. Basically huge two person high bolders the trail weaves you in and around, over and under. Of course with all the rain it was more like a slip and slide rocky maze of scrapes and bruises. Got through okay with only a few bloody spots, some curseing and shqaking of fist at trailrouters and some pant tearing butt slides. Another 2 miles and I was at the shelter where I finally caught Huff and Puff. Yay reunion and catch up time