Date: 2015-06-10
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Crabtree Falls Campground
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: scattered clouds

And...my malaise continues! I tossed and turned last night because it was cold out again. What is going on? It has been hot so I sent my bag home, now its cold. Glad I bought the extra throw. The poor guy in the tent 10 feet away from me was probably wondering why the haggard lady pitched her tent so close when we were in a huge empty field, and then proceeded to make balloon animals all night.(that's what D.No says it sounds like in my tent when I move on my air mattress)So I did a 20 mile day followed by an 8 mile day. (one step forward and two steps back) And this morning I don't feel like walking as far as the woods to pee. Uh oh. I stayed in my tent until the guy camping next to me left so I could avoid apologizing for all my noisy tossing and turning. Cowardly, I know. Finally, I got up, swung on the swing for a while, ate some Captain crunch, read my book, and finally packed up and left around 10:30. A SOBO guy passed and informed me that the wild strawberries were delicious. I looked and looked, but I couldn't find any. I stopped at the first shelter, about 5 or 6 miles in, for a shoes off lunch break. Reading the shelter journal, I saw entries every few pages by Regina the Ridge Runner, encouraging hikers to pack out their trash. I was impressed with her positive tone as she reminded us not to be selfish. (she didn't use that word) Because leaving your trash at a shelter is, frankly, selfish. Young people hiked in and greeted each other and chatted with each other and I felt invisible. It was a pity party kind of day. I hiked out and made The Priest Shelter my next goal for a stop. Before priest, Spy Rock was the next sight. I was slogging along, not even paying attention to the terrain, long since tired of looking for the delicious strawberries, and thinking about yellow blazing or blue blazing or anything except for hiking the white blazes. I had never thought about those options before. (Well, I have thought a lot about aqua blazing) When I got to Spy Rock, a couple of Ridge Runners were working hard making the campsite pristine. One was a woman. I asked her name and it was Regina, from the shelter register. I told her I was concerned about getting stuck in the middle of the no camping area because of "problem bears" coming up and asked her questions about a shortcut trail around Three Ridges Mountain. She told me it knocked off about 4 miles, but it was still rigorous. And, she said, slightly lifting an eyebrow, "It's not the AT." First, I have been practicing lifting one eyebrow for my entire life and I still can't do it. But I can wiggle my ears. Second, oh Regina- how you stuck in my head. I KNEW I needed an attitude adjustment. There is a saying that this hike is 90 % mental. This is where the rubber meets the road, I guess. I chewed on that as I hiked into the Priest Shelter. It was around 6pm and I had hiked about 16 or 17 miles or so. I cooked dinner and read the shelter journal. Since this is the Priest shelter, the theme for the journals is confessions. Many confessions were about how people didn't dig holes for their poop, just covered it with leaves. That explains a lot. Cover your poop people! My confession was my 1.5 mile road walk from the Captains to the trail to avoid zip lining in the rain. That really bothers me. And, I said to myself, if that bothers you, blue blazing or yellow blazing will really bother you. I hiked up the hill from the Priest, not sure if I would hike just to the campsite at the top of the hill, or down the mountain to the base of Three Ridges Mountain. Might as well position myself for success tomorrow, I thought. I hiked out and down the Priest, much more grueling down than it was up. I got to the campsite just as it was getting dark. I pitched my tent and hung my food bag from the beautiful suspension bridge. It dangled over the water. If a bear does attempt to get it, it is far from my tent but I could see it, and it would be entertaining. I washed my nasty clothes in the river using my headlamp. They STANK! I got into my tent and read my trashy novel I got at a shelter. It was warmer tonight. I was alone at this campsite so I put my earplugs in. Nothing bad can happen to you if you are sleeping with earplugs.