Date: 2017-08-18
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: moderate rain

I did not sleep well, and my mood reflected that. Good thing I was alone. I really was dragging my feet and slow to get moving but, grateful that my bear bag was intact, that I did not have any slithery visitors in my sleeping bag, and that it had not rained overnight, I resisted the temptation to linger. I headed out. The loop confused me a bit, again¢it seemed I had turned a different direction upon arriving last night. I followed the white blazes, though, and came to the sign that assured me I was heading north. VA was kind to post signs every now and then. With few exceptions, the only directional ¢signs¢ on the trail to this point were the white blazes, and you just had to know whether you were heading north or south. I like signs.I wasn¢t a mile into my hike when I couldn¢t help but notice how wet my back was. It hadn¢t rained, and surely I couldn¢t have worked up that much of a sweat in so short a time. I stopped for a gear check only to find that my Camelback had sprung a leak. I was tempted to return to the last shelter to spread things out and try to fix the leak, but a quick text to my daughter convinced me to just keep moving forward. I dumped the remaining water from the camelback, tried as best as I could to dry the contents of my backpack (most items were not affected, because they were in plastic bags), reloaded, and kept moving forward. I still had the Sawyer water bag and smart water bottle, and I was thankful to have these back up means to carry water, even though it meant I would have to make more frequent stops for refills.  The trail led to another stretch on the VA Creeper Trail and across an impressive wooden bridge dedicated to Luther Hassinger, the founder of a lumber company that cleared the way for the VA Creeper Trail. I thought I was home free after crossing the bridge, but the two miles that followed were grueling, and the dark skies looked like they would explode any minute.  Even though it had not rained yesterday or today, the ground was still wet, and roots and rocks were slippery, so I took extra caution to avoid a mishap, but my efforts were unsuccessful. I managed to slip on a rock and felt the twinge in my knee. It was not so bad I could not continue hiking, but bad enough that each step was painful. When I reached the shelter, I decided I would not go any further, even though it was early enough for me to go on to the campsite only 1.4 miles down the trail. This way, I rest my knee and can figure out how to fix my camelback. Pretty much, those were just excuses. For whatever reason, my heart was not into the hike today, but I was glad I put a few miles behind me. I emptied my backpack to try to dry it out from the leaky water bag, but the effort was futile, as the rains came soon after I set everything out on the picnic table to dry. D©j vu.  Just as I was accepting that I would spend another night alone, a young couple arrived. Lindsey and John, AKA ¢Gram¢ and ¢Gramps¢ were section hiking, with a goal of reaching Marion in just a few days. They¢re from the Akron, Ohio area!!! We talked about work, Ohio, the hike, the preparation for the hike, the experience, our families.  You name it. Their arrival and company changed my whole frame of mind, and I felt re-energized. I didn¢t know if our paths would cross again¢they were fast hikers and covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time, but I believe God brought them to that shelter that night to give me the mental boost I needed to keep pushing forward.   Morning came, Gram and Gramps retrieved their bear bag and realized an intruder visited¢evidence of a mouse chewing its way through to the feast inside their bear bag. Gram and Gramps did everything right¢those tenacious rodents just don¢t give up.  My bear bag was unscathed, possibly due to the layers of ¢odor resistant¢ bags or possibly because the smorgasbord within was not as enticing. My knee felt better, but I took some Ibuprofen anyway, in anticipation of the long hike ahead. I left camp soon after Gram and Gramps, carrying my still wet backpack. At least my spirit was no longer dampened¢I left with a better outlook, and even excitement, to be closer to the Grayson Highlands. First, I needed to conquer Mt. Rogers.