Date: 2007-05-27
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

May 27, "Hiking is Hard"Incase I haven't mentioned it, I sure am having a good time. Today we had the choice of going 24 miles or 14. I opted for the latter and, boy, did I have fun doing it.I lingered at the shelter for a bit this morning talking with folks and finally started walking around ten to 8 a.m. We had a bit of a climb right out of the shelter and then the terrain for the rest of the day was a dream. A total dream. We were consistently walking three miles per hour. There was a hump to climb near the middle of the day and it was the nicest incline I've seen on this trail so far - so gentle and unassertive.Melk and I shared a trail magic Propel this morning from a cooler we stumbled upon. It was while we were enjoying the tasty beverage that we decided to go into Bland for lunch, Dairy Queen, and more trail food. I'd been hungry for over twelve hours straight, dreaming of so much junk food. We let Young Eagle know too since he had to go in as well.About two miles before Bland, Melk and I took a break on the side of the trail. Then came Young Eagle, then came Ronin. We didn't have to try very hard to convince Ronin to hop on board the bus to Bland. We all met at the road crossing shortly thereafter.At first we got no bites at our hitching attempt. Melk said she felt like a failure as a woman but, not to worry, we scored a ride soon after. A woman in a truck let the four of us hop in the bed and we were at the Subway about ten minutes later. Ronin helped me discover the chicken, bacon, ranch sub and I will be forever grateful. One footlong down.We walked about a quarter of a mile to the Dairy Queen where we all feasted on cool treats. I decided to opt for potassium and got a banana split - because one banana (even spilt) has all the potassium you need in a day (hi, Angela).Young Eagle and I both resupplied at the joined gas station and our last task would be to find a way back three miles to the trail. Ronin and I were sitting on the sidewalk talking to passers-by when a man and his wife came up. "You walking the trail?" he said, "she wants to do it so bad." So we started talking and I find out they are from Michigan and were just down here for the weekend. They live right near Mount Pleasant, where I went to college! So, I decided to try my hand at yogi-ing. I asked them where they were headed and they said north. Then they asked where the trail was and whether we needed a ride. Yup! It was odd, I was just telling Melk this morning that I'd be terrible at yogi-ing but turns out I did okay. Thanks, Jim and Brenda, for smushing us into your car!We got back on the trail around 4 p.m. and it was pretty much all uphill the two miles to the shelter. I felt like I was hiking after Thanksgiving dinner - lethargic and dazed. But we made it.Before I left the shelter this morning, I signed the trail register saying: Stayed here last night. Not sure where I'm headed tonight but I hope there are ballpark hot dogs with ketchup and mustard there. So, as if my day wasn't already top notch, when I got to the shelter, U-Turn and Red Arm were here offering hot dogs with ketchup and mustard. Wow. How's that for perfect?The rest of the night went well. The water source was mad far so we joked about playing water source relay. We hung out at the shelter and devised a plan for tomorrow - hike 18 miles to a trail that leads to a deli, hike to the deli, hike back to the trail, and then hike a minute more and camp at Dismal Falls. We'll see how this works out.It was a fun day. It felt really nice getting some miles in and still getting to town for lunch and ice cream. And we were comfortably at the shelter by 5:30 p.m. Perfect. It was a good time all around. The decision was made to memorialize the day. We'll move it to a Monday and call it "Memorial Day".- Sound of someone breathing heavy in their tent, cars from the nearby expressway, little crackles here and there.Post Trail Thoughts:Another GREAT day. I remember Melk turning to me as we walked to Dairy Queen and saying "I hope the four of us keep hiking together, this is a fun group". And I remember thinking - and saying to her - that it seemed premature to expect that since we really had not been doing that before. We were all near each other but not technically hiking together. I thought it would never happen. I'm glad I was wrong.This little stint were some of my most productive-feeling and exciting days. We made some decent miles, all while stopping for big meals and fun along the way. Fantastic!