Date: 2011-04-22
To: Tulsa, OK
Miles today: 0.0

April 22TYPICAL DAYAfter tossing and turning all nite in the ol bag, almost always set on a slope I hadn't noticed the nite before, I begin the drawn out process of getting up. It's dawn, about 7AM and the birds are in full swing. On occasion, one of them would have been right above my tent all nite long going "chirp, chirp, trill" then refrain after refrain. But since I've been horizontal for nearly 11 hours, surely I'm rested and my feet have decided to become part of body again after numbing out from yesterday's punishment.Other than the bear bag containing all my food which I managed to hang successfully from a tree branch last nite everything I own is inside my MSR Hubba tent (the 2-man is a Hubba Hubba).I get my eye drops and contact lens inside the bag to warm up some before I administer the Prednisone (keeps my body from rejecting the cornea transplant of 5 years ago)---then wait the required 10 minutes before attempting insertion of contact in right eye without the aid of a mirror which was sent home at Neels Gap to save weight. In the meantime I have swallowed the half dozen pills that keep me healthy.More than likely it's cold, mid 30s? I add the various layers as quickly as possible to my upper body, then roll down the sleeping bag to bare my feet and to which I apply a generous application of Vaseline to suspected hot spots. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of salt" or something like that. No blisters on my tootsies yet while everyone else has suffered---I've seen some pretty good ones, painful just to look at em! Pull on two pairs of socks and my boots. Even though it's cold now I'll probably hike in shorts, the legs stay warm once the day's hike begins.Out of the tent and down to the privy if there is one, otherwise it's into the woods, either way I'll have my personal roll of toiletpaper. Get my bear bag on the way back and start breakfast. My reactor stove brings a half liter of water to a boil in just over a minute so it's not long before I've consumed my morning nourishment.If there happens to be precipite falling it complicates packing up, otherwise I've got it down to about 15 minutes, tent and all. On the trail by 8:30 or 9:00.I've already planned the day's hike depending on how much elevation and mileage I think I can handle as well as where the next shelters are located. I like to stay at the shelters because there is usually a water source, a privy, and most of the time cables to hang your bear bags. I always tent because it provides more privacy except when a thunderstorm is imminent, then I suffer thru snoring, belching, farting, people getting up to go pee, and the pesky shelter mice.Usually I'm hiking by myself. There were days I saw only one or two other hikers until I reached my evening destination. On other days I might leapfrog another hiker as one of us has stopped for a break. There were some days I hiked with someone for a morning and/or an afternoon. I stop at least every hour to take off my pack, get some water (cannot overlook taking on liquids), and urinate to see if it is clear (yellow is bad news).The morning and early afternoon go well. The last hour or so are the hardest, especially going downhhill. That' really tough on the toes and thighs. When I get into camp I hurry to set up my tent, blow up my sleeping pad, and lay out the sleeping bag---then I shuck off the boots and get horizontal for 30 to 40 minutes in order to rest and get the circulation to my poor dogs which I've abused all day.Next task is to go to the water source, usually a stream within a quarter mile or less, and with my trusty filter pump I fill up both water bottles and the two liter Platipus I use for cooking. Dinner is quick to prepare (all dehydrated food) and I'll consume the two portions that are in the package. Sometimes I do this at the tent and other times I'll do it at the shelter along side other hikers.Unless there is a "no burn" in effect someone will start a fire and we will all sit around and tell stories. The big joke recently is the retired FBI guy, trail name G-Man had his tent stolen in Franklin, ha, ha! Dark thirty comes about 8:00PM and it's time to crawl in the sack.Right now I'm home and have all the time in the world to add to my journal. Sitting outside by the chiminea smelling the sweet aroma of pinion wood and sipping a Black Opel cabernat merlot blend. Nice, but I wish I was still on the AT.