Date: 2005-05-19
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Miles hiked today : 19.618.0 AT miles + 0.4 miles of side trail + 1.2 roadwalk milesI woke up this morning at 5:45 a.m. and was packed and hiking at 6:25 a.m. I was leading Wingit, Stick, and Flying Turtle out of the "wayside" and this was the first time I'd seen a shelter clear before 6:30 a.m.I was moving faster than the pack today and before long, I was by myself. I reached the southern boundary of the National Zoological Park, the 3.0 mile mark, at 7:30 a.m. I was a little disappointed that the trail didn't go through the park, which is a conservation and research center for many rare and endangered animals.An hour later, I took a 10 minute rest break and reached the Tom and Molly Denton Shelter at 9:35 a.m., having hiked 8.1 miles. Talk about a very nice shelter! It always seems that I hit the nicest shelters early in the morning and don't have an opportunity to stay in them. I took a 20 minute rest break and enjoyed sitting on the inclined bench on the deck in front of the shelter. Apparently there is a shower near the spring, though entries in the register indicated that it was inoperative.Moving on, I covered 3.0 miles to Manassas Gap (VA 55), arriving at 11:05 a.m. I tried hitching into Linden for 5 minutes, though the low volume of traffic prompted me to walk the 1.2 miles into town. I arrived at the post office at 11:35 a.m. and was happy to see that they didn't close for lunch until 12:00 p.m. I picked up my maildrop amd walked across the street to a small store and bought ice cream, chocolate milk, and soda for myself, and a dozen donuts for whoever showed up at the shelter in the evening.I sat outside the store eating my ice cream and just as I finished, a gentleman named Mike asked whether I was hiking the trail. I said "Yes." and then asked whether he'd mind giving me a lift 1.2 miles up the road to the trail. He agreed and while driving, asked whether I'd seen any bears. I told him about the 2 I'd seen in Shenandoah National Park and then he told me about the bears that liked to eat the corn out of his neighbors bird feeders. As we approached the point where I'd earlier stopped hiking, I told him that this was where I wanted to get out, though he kept driving. Mike turned off of VA 55 and told me that he'd take me right up to the trailhead and looked at me strangely when I explained that I had to walk the section of road from Manassas Gap up to the trailhead. So, he drove me back to VA 55, let me out, and wished me luck. The time was 12:25 p.m.It was 2.5 miles to Manassas Shelter and I had an 855 foot climb with a pack full of new food and miscelaneous goodies to be consumed later in the evening. I arrived at the shelter at 1:30 p.m. and stayed for a 20 minute rest break before continuing 4.4 miles to Dick's Dome Shelter.I arrived at Dick's Dome Shelter at 3:40 p.m. and was happy to be done early in the day. The shelter is a pentagon structure with a dome ceing and I am told it's called a "yurt." I washed my feet in the creek, treated 2 liters of water, and cooked dinner. The hikers on site were more than happy to help eat the dozen donuts I'd packed in.After dinner, I spent some time journaling and then finished reading "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. On another note, Star Wars Episode 3 was released in theaters today and I wish that I could watch it, though I'm more than content to be where I am.Bedtime at 8:00 p.m