Date: 2008-03-30
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Hampton, TN
Miles today: 15.0

In the middle of the night, I heard the rain begining to fall. It sounded so nice, that I immediately passed back out until 3a. You might be wondering why I woke back up at this odd hour, eh? Well, I felt something rubbing my beard and thought, "Man, Stovie is getting a little 'Handsie.'" But, I realized it wasn't Stovie when it was touching my shoulder and beard at the same time...it was a mouse working its way down into my sleeping bag!!! Upon realization, I began swatting the bugger out of my bag and shrieking like a 5 year old girl. I got Fifel--we've decided to name all the mice Fifel after "An American Tale"-, but I unfortunately woke everybody up in the process...Sorry guys! As we were going back to bed, Fifel got brave and ran across Chris and Lacey's face--he must have been seeking revenge for us killing one of his own. By 6:30a, Chris and Lacey, with Rocketman, was ready to hit the trail, but he decided to try and wait the rain out a bit. So, we all hung out inside of the shelter while the weekenders were packing up and left. It wasn't until we were fully packed, however, that we realized the lady had left her Thermarest. She was hiking SOBO, so we left it hanging in the shelter incase they doubled back for it, and we also thought that it would be a nice piece of gear for Homeless Dave--We say that whenever you lose a piece of gear, Homeless Dave has it since he was using the trail as a means to acquire gear and food)!! So, by 9:30a, Stovie and Fester's normal leaving time, we hit the trail. There were a couple decent climbs today, but nothing we couldn't really handle. It did, however, begin to rain again and we had to don Raingear. So, while everybody was putting on their pack covers and rainpants/jackets, I threw on the Tarp-Poncho. It was the first time Stovie and Fester had seen it and Fester said, "Woah! Hummus, you look like a giant Skittle!!!" We all chuckled, but didn't realize this was the birth of the Tarp-Poncho's trailname: The Skittle!!! Even though I have been to Laurel Falls many times through out my undergraduate career, it felt different/better being there on my AT Thru-Hike. When we reached the road, we tried hitching but to no avail...I even used my new sign!! Not wanting to waste our day with failed Hitching opportunities, we decided to walk and hitch. Eventually, a Med Student from ETSU picked us up. Her name is Kristen Brosaure(?) and I asked whether it was the sign that convinced her to that we were Hikers, but she said she could spot/[smell] one a mile away...We must all look like models or something because I have no idea what the "hiker" look is this season!!! She dropped us off at Brown's Grocery Store and some exploration led us to the Braemer Castle. We dropped our gear off, met the owner--Scott Brown--, and resupplied at his store...he opened it up just for us!!! After all this, we met another "hostel-mate" named Lonewolf (Roman) and his BIG dog named Max. Like the "Trail Legend" Lonewolf, this guy is also from around Damascus and offers hikers a place to stay and many amnemities! Following our hiking instinct, we headed down to THE COPPER KETTLE for some food. Man, this place was extraordinary...I paid $7.10 (tax included) for a MONSTROUS bowl of Chicken and Dumplings, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes w/gravy, Cornbread, and Strawberry Peach Cobbler. This is one of the first times that I wasn't sure I could finish all of my food...Everyone, you have to go to this place!!!! We have returned back to the hostel and we bought beer for Lonewolf, as per his request, and are sitting here listening to his stories. I don't know what time he started, but Lonewolf is "HAMMERED!" He just keeps drinking and drinking those Steel Reserve Tall Boys, but he did give us a good bit of information before he go to the point of hammeredness: It's possible to "Aqua Blaze" (take a canoe trip) from Waynesboro, VA to Harper's Ferry. We are currently considering this because it would be a nice way to break up the monotony of the trail! Some of Lonewolf's stories include: 1. The day he spent the night at Roan High Knob Shelter and the snow was so deep the next morning, he had to tunnel his way out of the shelter. Then, while he was hiking down to Carver's Gap, it was waist deep and the snow just kept falling. 2. The morning after letting a hiker stay at his place, Roman realized that this guy had stolen a pocket knife from his house and split. Well, being a "local expert" on the AT, Roman knew what road crossing to wait for this guy at. When he confronted the hiker, Roman informed him that he would have given him the knife if he had asked, but it belonged to his nephew and stealing is wrong!!! Oh Well! It's hard to find the truth value of these tales, but they're nice to hear.