Date: 2010-06-18
From: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

Got a decent start out of the shelter after a leisurely breakfast and packup. So glad I got enough water last night so I didn't have to revisit that spring, whew! It's a long way down to get there! The trail made it's way along between some residential area, I heard serious dog barking, like dobies or rotties or some such, going just nuts! Couldn't see them though, the trail people have done a great job of keeping the trail in the trees even as you pass through neighborhoods, granted, rural neighborhoods. As I got close to US 522 I met a man with a daypack and sleeping bag lashed on, carrying a duffel and a grocery sack. He muttered something about gotta get better gear, then stopped to talk with me about the enormous BEAR he had just seen! That's why the dogs were going crazy, he said. I loved the way he told the story, you could just see in the light in his eyes how jacked up he was about seeing that bear. Then he said real quiet, I just love it when I see them. He had a real positive effect on me. Hiked on and met TigerLilly (formerly GearBomb) and Swift slackpacking. I have met these two so many places and most recently watched a clogging show at Skyland Lodge with them. We laughed so hard at the idea of clogging in hiking boots. We're working on our routine. Anyway, they slack frequently, so I've met them frequently on the trail and at hostels, etc. They're a lot of fun to be around and make me laugh. Stopped at Denton Shelter (what a shelter! shower, pavillion and all!) for lunch. Met a southbound section hiker, actually have met a lot of these folks recently. Must be the summer season. Anyway, had a nice chat with him while eating lunch. Read the shelter news and found comments about the homeless man I met that morning. Some suspicious, some in support of. I come down on the supportive side, I loved his style. He may be homeless, but he's one of us for sure. I hope he gets better gear. And, my friends Whippersnap and Joe, just a half day ahead of me. That's always good to see familiar names in the logbook. Crossed VA 55 and went under I-66, then up Manassas Gap. Love the sense of history in this hike. There was a sign along the trail about Mosby, a Confederate officer, who was responsible for the area the next 25 miles or so the trail traversed. Funny thing was, a couple of weeks ago when I was with the military people at Paul Wolfe Shelter, one of the guys told me the story of Mosby, so it made it extra cool to me to be walking this ground. There were plenty of stone walls and what appeared to be cannon works along the ridge too. I enjoyed it a lot. Got in to Dick's Dome Shelter around 7:00 or so, well satisfied with my day's hike. I hope someday I can get 18-20 miles in and arrive by 6:00, but anything earlier than 8:00 is good with me. The shelter is on a nice tumbling stream, but had to hike up to an old road bed above the privy to find a decent place to setup my tent. No matter, it's just fine with me. Shelter gets it's name from it's peculiar dome shape, looks like some kind of radar installation or something and very small. Met several sectioners but only one other thru hiker there named Overload, from Wisconsin. Nice enough fella. A good day on the AT.