Date: 2007-11-30
From: Atkins VA

To: Partnership shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

mi. 11.6sleep shelterdest. Partnership Shelter day 141 Well another kind of unplanned short day. They mentioned last night they were headed here and I should stop there. But I'll get more into that shortly. My goal was to be hiking by 9am, pretty good start for out of town. After getting up we hit up the truck stop for breakfest. Once again pancakes, good but not great. After packing up and putting around I didn't get started until just after 9, Missinglink and John were still packing up. For some reason today I just couldn't get motivated to get the miles rolling. I kept finding little reasons to stop. I took a short break at the shelter I was going to stay at last night. The 3 guys just in front stayed there last night. Tonight they are probibly at the one 10 miles south of the one I'm at. I stopped for a little snack break and got out the pocketmail. I got an email from Slowhike from Hammockforums. Him and another guy are doing an overnight tomorrow and he said he wouldn't mind meeting up. we have been sending a couple email back and forth to set something up. My steller ability to send emails in every town doesn't really help this. So I turned on the cell phone, no signal. Now what proceeded is why I cell phone is always turned off with the battery off and in the pack. I wanted to make a phone call and see if Slowhike could meet up, so of course I had no signal. So the next few miles became all about seeing if I got a signal or not. I felt like the "Can you hear me now" Verizon guy. But no one could hear me. I learned that if my cell phone doesn't consistantly have 3 bars, it's not worth wasting my time. I can however sometimes get out text messages. The best way to do that is when I am up high and getting 2 bars, type up the meesage and hit send. Then hike on. At some point it might get enough signal to send. It worked today. The bad thing is that it also receivess, then keeps on recieving. I got a reply from my mom, but nothing from slowhike. I ended up turning off my phone after getting her message a couple times and constant reminders of my 5 unread voicemails. I thought everyone new better than leave messages for me. I tend!to listen to them back home only every week or so. On the trail it may take a couple weeks. Needless to say until I shut it off I didn't enjoy the hiking or wasn't able to think of anything else. I got the the Graysland highlands visitors center sometime around 3pm. The shelter is just 100 yards past it. I looked around inside for a while. I should have picked up a few more postcards to send. I sent a couple in town. I like sending them, the trouble is that I talk to the people on the phone or via email enough that anything I say on the postcard isn't important anymore, or already said. So I draw pictures depicting different scenes of what I am doing. Which is more fun and entertaining than anything I could write. I got to the shelter and read the register awhile. Firework was here about a week ago and hope to finish in about 25 days. Woodward and Mr B (Clay and Karl from Maine) are only 5 days or so in front. I read Jason got off. I hope everything is ok. Funny how all the big days they were pulling and how much screwing around I'm doing and they are only that far in front. I checked my watch, 3:30pm. I really didn't feel like going any farther today. So I sat down and read my book. After awhile I walked back to find MissingLink and John. Now this shelter is one of a very few on the AT that you can order food to. So of course we ordered some. A great meal on the trail. Once again though I'm carrying way more food than I need. I will be resupplying tomorrow or the next day. There is also a phone at the visitors center outside for hikers. I was able to send my mom a text with my pockemail to call me there. It was great of them to write it's number. I got a quick talk in with my mom. I had her check in on my finances. I haven't checked my bank account since PA. Luckily everything is in order. Money wise I have enough to finish with a small cushion. Thankfully Don't need to go back to work the day after I get back. I also was able to have my sister call slowhike and have him call me. We kind of set up something. I will know more and let everyone in tomorrow. After that it was reading and catching up on my journal. I finished book number 7. I'll have to pick up another one in Damascus.