Date: 2004-04-20
From: Peter's Mtn Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

Log entry: 80Start time: 0730End time: 1430Morning weather: Sunny and mild, around 55 at 0800Afternoon weather: Mostly sunny, maybe high sixtiesEvening weather: Party cloudy, cool, around 55 againBreakfast: Strawberry Poptarts and Chewy Granola BarsLunch: Cheese sandwhich compliments of Smiley, cheddar cheese combosDinner: Chicken noodle soup (Bear Creek) and hot chocolateTrail description: Rocks were not an issue today, the descent from the ridge we were on made our feet ache. The climb out of the valley was long, and gentle, but very rocky. The rocks were about softball size.People: Smiley, Beesknees and RelentlessWildlife: BLACK SNAKE!!!! A five footer too, very cool. Money spent: NoneComplaints: Feet felt broke in about 83 places, give or take.Thoughts: I woke up from a wonderfully short night of rest at 0630. I could have slept longer but that's when we wanted to get going, in case it was another hot day. In actuality it was quite pleasent.We really felt like we were covering a lot of ground today but the miles justdidn't pass very quickly. Our first 30 minute stop was at Rattling Run Creek. We filled water bottles and drank from the cool waters. About an hour or so later we stopped at Yellow Springs Village for lunch. It isn't actually anything like a village but rather a clearing where I guess there used to be a village. Most likely just a ploy by The Pennsylvania Department of tourism to attract thru-hikers.Shortly after lunch progress was again halted when Smiley let out a "whoa" andjumped back, almost into me. "Huh" I replied then looking 10 feet up the trail I saw the snake which made me jump as well. The thing about PA is that you only pay attention to what is directly in front of you, where your boot is and where it will go next. That is it. The trail is open enough that if we had been looking we probably could have seen the snake 30 yards out. So anyways we snapped pictures and it slithered of into the woods. That made my day.Not long after that we ran into Relentless who is hiking the trail with hiswife, Beesknees. She was up ahead. They hiked last year up to Harpers Ferry and are finishing it up this year. They have a journal on trailjournals if you get time. Very nice man.We pushed on and got to the shelter planning on just resting a bit and thencamping somewhere further on. But our feet threatened mutiny if we did one more mile so we enjoyed the afternoon sun. As we relaxed, Yahtzee, NOBO class of 02 stopped by and filled us in on theweather and the rocks. He says they are a lot tougher than most people say."Going slow over them still makes your feet hurt", oh brother. He was veryhelpful though. And then he went on his way. Yesterday I pretty much solved what has been making my feet ache and burn sobad. The answer lies in the boots and socks. In a nutshell, my boots are leather and gortex which means they don't breath very well. Add wool socks and 80 degree heat and you have an oven. Then think about all the moisture given off my feet that are working hard. There is no where for the moisture to go. My socks take the brunt of it and my feet feel dry but when I take my socks off my feet look like I have been in the tub way to long. Now add terrain like the rocks here in PA where your feet are usually on an angle and you get blisters and hotspots. The hotspots which turn into blisters are usually alleviated by duct tape and/or moleskin. But my feet are too damp for the adhesive qualities of duct tape to be effective. The short and simple answer is that when I get to Port Clinton in 2 days I am buying lighter shoes that breath better and thinner socks.I do appreciate the mass of the boot when on pointy rocks but the boot is alsoclumsy which in turn makes it more dangerous on the rocks. The next big plus is at the end of the day when you are scuffing your feet along and not picking them up as high as you should and you stub your toe the boot soaks most of that up.But in a shoe your feet shouldn't be as tired at the end of the day.Anyways Smiley and I ate and had more great discussions and then we decided tohang our food bags. This was the first time I have hung mine besides inShenandoah when they had poles. Smiley had the thin rope and I had thecarabiners and the whole incident when by pretty uneventful. We now sit in theshelter knowing that even we won't be able to get our food down. Hey, wait aminute...