Date: 2003-07-09
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I slept soooo well last night! It wasn't too hot or too cold, and I didn't even need any extra-curricular drugs (that is, other than Ibuprofen or Tylenol) to get to sleep. I was sure that we were going to get in our big miles today. The Rollercoaster loomed in our near future, filling our minds with doubts, though. We started off strong, hitting the first two of our ascent/descent combos with no problems. Part of this was due to the weather...Randy and I agreed that it was, at least for now, much cooler than the previous day. On one descent, I scared away several deer with my squeaky boots. The deer here are much more skittish...perhaps here they are hunted, whereas in SNP, I don't believe they are. No more bear sightings...maybe I'll only see the two on my trip. Right after I saw the deer, I also spotted a wild turkey, running away from me down the Trail. Yes, I do seem to be very good at frightening the wildlife out here...maybe they can smell me coming. I! smell SO BAD!! There are times that I just want to get away from myself, but unfortunately, I don't have that option. One of the biggest sources of odor is my shoulder straps, which should have been replaced in Front Royal, but didn't show up at the post office. I now have to wait until Duncannon to get them...I hope I can stand the stench for that long...bleah! So, anyway...we stopped for a short break at a stream where there were some great rocks to sit on. Or so we thought....it just so happened that a millipede invasion was taking place. They were everywhere! I finally found a tiny rock that I could sit on and defend myself...I just KNEW that they would try to crawl up my kilt! I ate a smushed package of Little Debbies nutty bars, donating many crumbs to the local ant colony, some shredded beef jerky and two small bottles of slammin' strawberry kiwi koolaid. I have Tang and/or gatorade in all of my mail drops, but find I still need more sugar drinks to keep me! going through the day. Refreshed and revitalized (read: sugar high),we went on...passed a stone foundation, titled "cellar ruins" on the profile map. We weren't sure what they were the ruins of. Thunder started grumbling suddenly in the distance. Randy had made a statement about our day so far including "something for everyone...mud, rocks, steep inclines, steep descents"...I told him he'd left out the thunderstorm aspect, although, at the time, that factor wasn't present. We went to the next shelter, which was only 2.5 miles from where we had just taken a break. We didn't need to take a break, per se, it was just that my lovely digestive system was acting up today (did I mention that I hate my guts??). Guess it's time to hit the immodium again . While there, I read the register. We had heard that a 15 year old girl had died on the Rollercoaster last week, but didn't have any more information than that. I found out that Superfly, Aftershock and The Dude had helped the medics and Widget (whom I've never met) gave her CPR, but! she didn't make it. Still don't know what happened, but I would assume she had a pre-existing condition. It does make me realize, yet again, how you really have to listen to your body out here. I try to pay attention to anything that hurts, aches, or just doesn't feel right. Sometimes I can move beyond it, but sometimes I just have to stop, or at least change something...my pace, my posture, my shoulder straps. I want to reach Katahdin, but I'm not blind to the fact that I have limitations. Right now, though, my biggest problem is insomnia. While that doesn't help give me hiking energy, it isn't physically debilitating. That sounds like a contradiction...I mean, I guess, that it doesn't HURT like a twisted ankle or a swollen knee. Wow, am I rambling...did I mention insomnia? Well, I'll get to that...We set off from the shelter, the storm imminent. It was really winding up when we approached the top of the next ridge (of course), and there was a fabu wind whipping! across the top of the mountain. The temperature had started rising, so the breeze was very welcome. The thunder was quite spectacular, but there was very little lightning or rain. We rejoiced...a truly perfect storm! We were heading to the Bears Den Hostel for lunch, which we could supplement with soda and Ben and Jerry's...yum! As we approached the hostel, another storm came through, this one featuring all of the elements of a true summer thundershower, including torrential rain. We took off our backpacks and evaluated the rest of our day. Should we continue on to the Blackburn Trail Center in the rain? We wouldn't arrive there till after 9:00. Or should we stay and take showers here, dry off and spend the night? It would mean a 19 mile day into Harpers Ferry tomorrow. The vote went for staying...we got cleaned up. When I was in the shower, I discovered that a deer tick had attached itself to my stomach...oh no! I had been so good about checking for them, or so I had thought. I figured that this must be the underlying reason (i!n the "everything happens for a reason" category) we stopped here. I don't know when I would have found it otherwise. I will be monitoring the bite site for signs of lyme disease, but I'm of course hoping that it was an uninfected tick. One of the section hikers who we met yesterday, Nancy, had a first aid kit with tweezers (I couldn't find mine) and a book that gave specific instructions on removal. She pulled it out, head and all...OUCH! I hope that's the only one that gets me. Cleaned up, we went upstairs to check in and get food. Randy and I each ate an entire frozen lasagna (well, I should say that we cooked them first), while Gerri ate most of one. We then topped it off, after doing some chores around the hostel, with a pint of Ben and Jerry's. What a way to end the day! Now if only I could get to sleep, things would be great...of course, I have new boots to look forward to tomorrow, as well as new gaiters...who can sleep with all the excitement??   :)