Date: 2017-11-15
To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

11/15Groundhog Creek Shelter 13.1 milesI was luxuriously warm last night. For the first time on the trail in recent memory, I was warm enough to unclench from the fetal position into something more comfortable. As a result I woke up feeling great. In the darkness I walked over to the bear cables to retrieve my food. Soon I had hot coffee and a poptart in my hands. I was very happy. On the other side of the shelter, Tom Horn woke up and exclaimed at what a good night's sleep he'd had. While I ate, changed clothes, and packed, we talked about this and that. It occurs to me that you might be wondering about the changing of the clothes while I'm four feet from a stranger. Like most other hikers, I've gotten pretty good at getting dressed inside my sleeping bag. Even if nobody else is there, I often change there when it's cold. Mostly my pants. I have been sleeping in my hiking shirt if it's dry enough, so it often doesn't come off. I take my bra off while my shirt is still on. My shirt and I are both flexible enough to let me pull my arms inside without flashing anything. I barely even think about it anymore. I certainly don't interrupt my conversation. In Stratton, I held a full conversation with another hiker while she changed every stitch of her clothing in a laundromat - never revealing anything she shouldn't. It's a useful skill. I was enjoying Tom Horn's company enough that I didn't start walking until 8:30. That was fine, though. I didn't have a long day planned. The sun had warmed the air a little, which was nice. There was still frost on the grass so my shoes got a little wet. I was gratified to find that fields that had been full of briars on previous hikes had been mowed down so they were grassy and pretty. I could see great views from them. I walked along, beaming at how pretty the world was today. I stopped right before Max Patch to eat, expecting it to be raucously windy up top. For once it was calm. I met three other hikers who congratulated me on my assumed to be successful thru hike, and told me how proud of me they were. This happens now on most days that I meet dayhikers. It's weird but nice. Between weather and terrain and company, I had a great day. It makes me feel almost ashamed how much my mood correlates with the weather. I'd like to have the emotional stability to maintain my mood based on my own internal workings, but I don't. I'm at the mercy of the world around me. That's fine on beautiful days, but it doesn't work out so well when the weather is bad. Later in the afternoon I ran into trail angel Apple. Actually I found chairs and an SUV and a geodesic dome, first. I walked up to the dome to look at it. When I turned around, I finally saw Apple in the vehicle. He said he must have fallen asleep. The dome was the frame for a heated tent that I was welcome to stay in. I declined that but accepted a coke, donut, and miniature apple pie before taking my leave. The food powered me up over the last mountain of the day. It started to rain when I was a hundred yards from the shelter. I hurried in, but it stopped right away and so far hasn't started again. A section hiker is here, tented a short distance away. I'm in the least sloping section of the shelter. Multiple people have told me that this is one of the worst shelters they've seen. Based on those I've stayed in recently, it's fairly average in my opinion. It's no Taj Mahal but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I made freeze dried chicken teriyaki for dinner. It was surprisingly good. I'm not sure if my standards have fallen, if I'm just that hungry, or if the food was as good as it seemed.