Date: 2004-06-03
From: Rockfish Gap, Waynesboro, VA - Quality Inn

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

A bed with sheets and a blanket is a wonderful thing. The sound of contactors' trucks starting up for the work day a change from whatever bird it is that I hear every morning.I roll over and pull the covers over my head. Finally get myself moving around seven. Adam is off eating and TreeFrog is frantically working on his journal. Apparently, his people are not happy with his erratic entries. Oh well. I share with him when I don't feel too much like writing, the highlight of the day version. I give FireMarshall a call. He's in the mood to stay in bed. That's copasetic with me. I get coffee and bagels and oatmeal and juice. I take my pocketmail with me to write some email. The guys do their run around and I take a morning nap. We're ready to leave out by 1130. At the checkout desk, the manager has a list of people we can call for a ride out. As TreeFrog starts making calls, a vehicle drives up and the couple inside asks Adam and I if we are thruhikers. The lady is QueenBee. She had started a thruhike this year but got sick north of Neel's Gap and her husband came and took her home. She missed hiking so much, they came back to hike the Shenandoah together. They offered to give us a ride back to Rockfish Gap. TrailAngels. I think she was going to cry when we unloaded at the gap. I don't think we even got their real names. Talk about late start, this is the latest I have ever started, after one.We hiked in to the self registration board and found no blank permits. After consulting with the handbook and the map, we concluded the blue blaze next to the registration lead to an Entrance for the park. Since I'm the fastest of the three, I dropped my pack and went down the hill. Got to the entrance and made squealing noise as I ran up to the gate. The ranger popped his head out and laughed. I talked him out of about twenty blank permits, promising that I would put them in the correct slot for self registration. Reverse trail magic. Finally, off we go, up a hill. What a surprise. The first big hill is Bear Den Mtn. I found wild strawberries. I confess, I've been finding them and eating them, but have been disappointed. But the ones on this mountain were delicious. I had been wondering about the person who decided that strawberries were worth cultivating. Today's berries let me know how someone would think they were worth the trouble. At the top of Bear Den is an interesting set up. The usual radio tower and the unusual tractor seats seating arrangement. I found a seat that was not too rusted and took a break. The view from up there was worthy of a break. Almost 360 degree. The radio tower blocked part of the view. The second hill today is Calf Mountain. I wish I knew how some of these places get such plain names. The tops of both mountains were open areas and full of early summer flowers and late spring flowers I recognize from home. Clovers, yarrow, penstemons. Some I've never seen, Whorled loosestrife and downy rattlesnake plantain. The down the hill to what I now associate as shelter country. Deep woods, down hill, places that a shelter cane have a water source. The shelter area has someone already tenting. I wonder if I should check on whomever, and decide against it for now. Later at supper time, he shows up and it is Boonie. Even later we are joined by Cheese and his dad, Les. I envy the people who have family come out to hike with them. But then I also wonder what goes through their heads as the thru hikers are now doing 15 to 20 miles and someone who hasn't been hiking joins them, doing a 10 mile day. Mixed feeling on my part. We all take turns trying to figure out the bear caching system the park has set up. We give up and go to bed, we'll worry about it when we're formally in the park. Bonus today: QueenBee has been reading the TrailJournals. She thinks she remembers reading Sgt. Taco is within two weeks of summiting Kahtadin. He's one of my inspirational readings as I was getting ready for my hike. I cheer him on. Namaste'