Date: 2016-04-17
From: Rice Field Shelter 

To: War Spur Shelter 
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: clear sky

I woke up earlier than usual this morning after a pretty bad night's sleep. Don't know why I didn't sleep well. The section hikers were lovely and inquisitive and offered me all sorts of food. They all run marathons and have sectioned most of Virginia. Quixote and Audubon were off earlier than I was, and Lightning waited around so we could head off together which was cool of him! We paced over the first part of a pretty ridge before we split up when I went to get water and he went to "see a man about a horse." The ridge was pretty lovely hiking. I saw where Bean and Phat Sister must've camped at a smoking fire pit. I found the couple sitting at Dickinson Gap eating "first lunch" and passed them and went up the first real climb of the day. I really do like having some challenging climbs in the day. I feel a kind of runners high at the end of them. I made my way down to Pine Swamp Branch shelter for lunch where Bean and Phat sister were hanging out. We joked about bears and bear suits and bears in bear suits. They're great in small doses. The next section kinda pissed me off. The trail almost hit a river and road crossing but then did a 180 up a giant hill. Then back down to the water. There were a bunch of blowdowns, one of which required crawling under. I didn't stop at The Captain's which was apparently a mistake because there was free soda to be had. I then started up the second big climb of the day feelin pretty good. I had Graceland stuck in my head as I pulled into Bailey Gap shelter, 16.5 miles into my day. Though the plan had been to get to Wind Rock and camp, I felt good enough to want to go just under 9 miles to War Spur Shelter. I skipped the first spring after the shelter and was going to use the second. It was a mistake. The spring was dry and my bush whacking search for an alternative was fruitless. So I scratched even the possibility of camping at Wind Rock for the evening and decided to go the 4 more miles to the next water. The trail over this part of the ridge was ROUGH. Tons and tons of rocks and an infuriating grade that constantly jumped up and around trees then back down. There were a number of section hikers at the road crossing just before Wind Rock and I passed an older woman thru hiker named Goal Digger. I stopped at Wind Rock. The ledges are lovely but the view is of a very nearby parallel ridge, not very interesting or expansive. The trail improved drastically after that but my left shin was hurting a little. I popped in music about 3.5 miles before the shelter and soon enough found myself down there. There was still room in the shelter next to a mother father and daughter from Lee, Mass. The father, jigsaw, has sectioned all but about 200 miles of the trail over 20 years. Also here is Spirit of 76, a German thru hiker living in New Orleans. We talked as I made dinner and set up. The hecklers rolled up soon enough and cooked dinner themselves, but made ready to go another 6 miles to the next shelter for some reason unbeknownst to me. Just as they left around 8:15, the couple came in, looking just as frustrated as I expected they'd be after not having water where they wanted it. All was well, now, though, as dinner was made. They informed me that Lightning apparently had a mouse chew through about 90% of the shoulder strap on his backpack and weren't sure where he was at. He rolled in just before 9, and we were all very excited to see him. He stopped off at the captain's and apparently used Ghost's sewing kit to Jerry rig his strap together. I apparently made it in front of Ghost and couldn't offload his sock (given to me by Slug). So everyone made it despite hardships! We have set ourselves up for an 18 and then a 15 into four pines hostel in two days, where I'll pick up a little more food before Daleville. This has been my longest day ever! Still feelin good and goin strong.