Date: 2010-06-12
From: Big Branch Shelter

To: Minerva Hinckley Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

13.3. Minerva Hinchey Shelter2. Report. This is a bi-polar report for the day.  It begins with a wx prediction for rain. I got up during the nite and was quite pleased to see stars. However, when I woke up it was heavy overcast. I thought a bit about sleeping in, but needed to move on for what you'll read about shortly. Besides, if it was going to rain I wanted to cover as much ground as I could when it was "dry". I started hiking about 0730 and it started sprinking around 0800. It then turned into outright rainstorm around 0830 and continued on thru early pm. Thankfully there were no lighting strikes in today's storm. The trail was poor to start with and quickly turned for the worse. Rocks, roots, leaves were all very slippery. Surprisingly the bog boards weren't as difficult as they were yesterday. In fact I had only 2 minor slips today and no falls. At one of the quagmires I mistook a leaf for a rock. When I stepped on it oI sank up to my calf. Unfortunately, my new watertight boots are barely ankle high. And after about 3 hours of steady rain the other boot became just as wet. I passed 2 rock cairn gardens and would have loved to photograph them; but I had my camera stowed away. I was able to keep a comfortable pace and stay relatively warm. I could stop for about 30 secs and still be comfortable. But I would start to get cold at about 60 secs and I'm sure hypothermia wouldn't be far away if I rested much longerThat was he bad part of the day. Now for the good part and what makes hiking the AT such a unique blessingI had been in contact with Miss Step back in MA. I met her at Katahin last year and then again when she reached Springer. Conflicts prevented a meeting in MA but I had received a message she was going to try to meet me in VT. Now I was totally without cell coverage for 2 days while at Odie's and most of the time while I was on the trail. Early yesterday am on top of Bromley Mtn I had a msg that she would be leaving at 1630 and would try to find me. I left her a msg of my location and plans.  No other contact was made. This am when I left the shelter I arrived at a closeby FS road and had cell coverage. I updated my journal and checked voicemail to hear that MissStep was going to try to stay at the Big Branch Shelter.  I sent her a msg of my location and plans again.  Now all this time she and Jack (Cheddar Bob) arrived a the FS road and saw all the signs about the Big Branch Bridge being out and the bypass detour.  They also thought the Big Branch Shelter was closed.  Thinking I would taken the bypass they moved up the FS road to where the detour accesses the road. So for about 15 hours we were within about 1/2 mi of each other and never knew it. I left my phone on and it started buzzing when I was at a peak. Finally we were able to talk directly and made plans to meet at a VT road crossing mid-pm. I arrived a little early and was very glad to see them. We went into nearby town and had lunch. I had several coffees. Then back to the trailhead where they had more trailmagic than I could carry. I loaded up my already overloaded backpack, took a couple of quick photos and bid them farewell, with an outside chance we might meet again in METhe hike from the trailhead to the shelter was pretty much a mind game. With a full stomach, fuller backpack and generally warm clothes, it was back to cold damp windy uphill climb. It was less than 4 mi to the shelter. At the shelter I efilled up with water and changed into dry clothes and put on my frog toggs Don't know about tomorrow. May take a zero at the shelterIf wx is as bad as projected. Or I could take a short hike if I'm really feeling daring. Or I could try another full day. Tune into next report for choiceIf it weren't for seeing MissStep and Cheddar Bob today, there is no way I would be saying...Life is Great!