Date: 2018-06-11
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up a little chilly this morning in the Rice Field Shelter. One other hiker had showed up well after dark last night. He woke us all up cooking his food. Then he fixed his sleeping space beside me. He¢s very hard of hearing. The only way to communicate is by shouting. He hiked 10 hours yesterday from Pearsburg to here. That¢s not very far for that amount of time. He still wasn¢t really up when we headed out after 8am this morning.  Packing up I could feel the rain in the air. So I got out my newly sized fancy rain gear. It fit my backpack properly! I¢m so happy!  Today was another great day for flowers. There are some new purple ones, and of course more strawberries. When I see all of the new wildflowers it makes me think of Ms.Thelma. She¢s my sister-in-law¢s mom, and she loves flowers. I think she would actually love this hike if it weren¢t for all the mountains! Haha!  I was in the lead for the most part this morning. The terrain was good at that time, and it was so peaceful. Once again the only sound was my favorite radio station birdies, tweets, and chirps. It just puts my whole being at ease. We took a little break about 1100 am. I found a place with logs at just the right height for sitting. Big Kahuna caught a tiny baby toad while we were there! It¢s the little things that make us smile. As always he gently released the toad after our standard photo session.  Leaving break I was in the lead. The path became a road of sorts. I had that Abandoned Road feeling again. One quick Guthook¢s check and this time it turns out I was still on the right path. Thank you Jesus!  Soon I could hear the work on the pipeline going on to my left. I could see glimpses of it down through the trees. There were signs posted along the trail where the pipeline would be coming through. I tried not to think about it too much. The realization came to me that our class of 2018 will be the last class to hike the A.T. the way it was meant to be. I¢m glad I have the opportunity.  A few hundred feet further up the path I heard a rustling in the leaves to my right. I looked over and there stood a beautiful doe. Hugs came up quietly behind me and we were able to enjoy her for a good while. She wasn¢t afraid at all, was just twitching her little tail. Big Kahuna arrived in time to see her too. I¢m still perplexed as to why we never see a buck?!? As we walked on we discussed the pipeline signs. Hugs said they¢re going to actually take the tops right off of some of these mountains. That really makes me sad. Soon our little doe will need to go find a new home.  A little ways further up the ¢road¢ the A.T. took a sharp turn to the left going back into the woods. The road however kept going straight. Sitting there where the A.T. and the road parted ways was a guard in a gator. He was making sure we kept our distance from the pipeline procedures.  At first I waved at the guard and kept on going, but I didn¢t get 20 ft down the path before I remembered my trash. I had left our hotel yesterday without emptying my hiker trash. I couldn¢t believe I did that! I¢m out here for 5 days this time and I knew I wouldn¢t have room for it and all the trash to come. So I turned around and asked the guard for a favor. He very kindly relieved me of my trash.  We talked about the pipeline a little bit. He really isn¢t for it either, but this was a job opportunity for him and he took it. He asked a lot of questions about my hike, and was shocked to know that I had REALLY walked over 600 miles. I told him my bear story while in the Smokies. He said ¢there¢s no bears around here right?¢  I had to tell him I just saw one yesterday. The look on his face was priceless! I giggled a little.  I thanked him and hurried along to catch back up with my tramily. I was beginning to hear the thunder in the distance and we had about 4.5 miles to our destination. The terrain had become rocky. I overlooked the rocks because there were beautiful ferns on both sides of the trail with peach colored Azaleas blooming throughout.  The rain held off until there was only 2.5 miles left to go. The rain wasn¢t heavy and it cooled things down nicely. I was so happy with my new Packa rain gear!  The coolest thing about today¢s rain was that the showers started just as we entered an area filled with Mountain Laurel. It was just beautiful, like the sun was still brightly shining through the rain! Hugs took the lead as we made our way to the shelter. It was all switchbacks down that mountain side of Laurel.  We¢re in a shelter again tonight. I much prefer my tent, but a wet tent is heavy, so here I am. Dinner was mashed potatoes with chicken and a mini moon-pie for dessert.  I¢m full and happy. Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?