Date: 2007-10-11
To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

mi. 0sleep hammockdest. Allentown Hiking Club Shelter day 91 Well as you can see I made 0 miles today. Which means my first zero in the woods. Now this was completly unplanned, but in the end very welcomed. But let me start at the beginning. I wonder how much I can write out today. Last night I woke up at some point to rain. On and off rain, but when it was on it was on. I remembered that I left a pair of socks and my short sleeve hiking shirt on my hammock suspension webbing. Which means they're soaked. I figured they are already wet, there is nothing I can do about it, and I am nice and warm in the hammock so I'll deal with it in the morning. Well morning came at the dark hour of 6am. It still wasn't light out when I got dressed, which consisted of putting all of the clothes on and my rain jacket. I managed to do that in the hammock, a great little acrabatic and gymmest feat if I do say so my self. I walked over to the shelter to find Torque already up. We went and got our food bags out of the tree. There is always that bit of excitement that comes when you first look up and see your food is still there. We had just got done cooking and eating breakfest, when the rain came. This was a good down pour. It looked like this was going to keep up for awhile. I voiced my dislike for hiking in freezing cold rain. It had to be in the high 40's at this point. The temp in my hammock was 51. So we decided to wait it out. I used a break in the rain to run over to my hammock and get my top quilt, sleeping pad, and a few other things to entertain myself. A few minutes later it started pouring again. The really wonderful thing about this shelter is that it is new. It is only around 10 years old and very well kept. It has 2 bench style stairs in front under the roof. Best of all it hads a gutter. Which the runoff went on a large rock to the front. We were able to fill up all our water bottles and pots. We still treated the water though. Had to get all the skim from the roof off, or at least killed. It was great to have 5 liters ready to go with a constant source to refill. We laid around and slept and read for awhile. It felt like a long time. Torque looked at his watch and it was only 9:30. It was still coming down. We decided that unless it really cleared up, today would be the prefect zero. So more sleep. I am really glad I packed out extra food. I packed out enough for at least 1 extra day. Lets just say I did not go hungrey today. All the skimping days back in VT for the rain taught me something. I will have to say I had my bowel and spoon ready all day today. Why do you ask, because it was chilly outside. I can see someone's eyes rolling on that one, but it is what it is. And it is one of my favorite stupid jokes. I woke up from one of my many naps around 5pm. The rain looked t be stopped. It was really windy though. If only i stopped a hour o so earlier. We could have packed u and made 7 miles t the next shelter. It i supposed t be nice and enclosed, read warm. But this i still a nice spot. Sometime after this a couple guys walked up. They are part of a college group that is camped somewhere close. We chatted for a minute than they went about their business. Unfortunatly they didn't come over and offer any extra food. I love when groups do that. The rest of the evening was filled with more eating, talking, and reading. The plan for tomorrow stand to put in a big day to Port Clinton. Somewhere around 23 from here. My biggest day, but doable. There is a campsite at 20 and a shelter at 17 if we change our minds. I have enough food to go into town the next morning, but not much later. There is supposed to be a Cabella's a mile off the trail there. The guide says it has an AYCE buffet. The plan is to hit that up. I can't seem to find the leak in my thermarest. I know I should submerge it in water and look for the leak, easier said than done in my current location. I may replace that out. I only have the cheap $30 model I found at a shelter. I also need a new fuel cansiter. Mine is really low. So watch out hunters a couple hungry hikers are on their way. Port Clinton is only .3 off the trail, in the opposite direction of the Cabela's though. They let hikers stay in a pavillan in town. That is the goal for tomorrow, hopefully it happens. Best part of the day is I never took the hammock or tarp down. I just came out and retightened the hammock and tarp guy lines in a break in the rain I was getting a little mist on the hammock sock, but that was it.One last thing while I am thinking about it. This has to be the most restful day I have had since well before my hike. With all of the sleeping, eating and laying around. I think I may have to plan another one of these at some point. Or better yet, save it for one of the bad weather days like today when I would rather not be hiking. Once again I seem to find excerts from the book I am reading that seem to fit well with what is going on. Below is from today. It fits the water I drink sometimes. Case in point water runoff from the roof of the shelter today. I still treated it and it looked clear. There are times though there are more than a couple floaters and sinkers in my water bottle or bladder. Below Twain is telling his response to someone whp was complaining about the drinking water in ST. Louis in the late 1880's. "... every tumblerful of it holds nearly an acre of land in solution. I got this fact from the bishop of the diocese. If you let your glass stand half an hour, you can separate the land from the water as easy as Genesis; and then you will find them both good: the one good to eat, the other good to drink. The land is very nourishing; the water is thoroughly wholesome. The one appeases hunger; the other thirst. But natives do not take them separately, but together, as nature mixed them. When there is an inch of mudd in the bottom of the glass, they stir it up, and then take the draught as they would gruel. It is difficult for a stranger to get used to this batter, but once used to it he will prefer it to water This is really the case....."