Date: 2003-03-20
From: Walasi-Yi Center

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

I was up at 7 this morning. The hostel was abuzz with hikers headed out into therain. I preferred to hang back for a bit, watch the Weather Channel, and decideafter breakfast what I would do. The weather report sounded promising; the 90%chance of severe thunderstorms that was expected for Thursday rolled throughWednesday night, so I was outta there! After a breakfast of energy bar andcheese stick, I shouldered my pack, complete with my added hip and shoulderpads, and walked out into the rain at 9:35am.i can't believe how good I felt after staying for 2 days at the hostel andletting my body heal some. My pack feels great; I walked the entire day withouttaking it off or adjusting it once. At 10:30 I had a snack of Snickers withAlmonds while I walked. At 11:30 I had another snack. Ditto for 12:30 and 1:30.Possibly my hiker appetite is kicking in.I was a day of up, down, up, down amd I arrived at the Low Gap Shelter at 4:00just as I had planned.I'm tented across from Dred, a nice fellow with dredlocks down to his bottom. Ihad offerer him some of my water earlier inthe day when he had realized that hisplatypus was empty. He declined, but we talked for several minutes about wherewe thought we were. I told him I rarely know where I am, I just walk until I getwhere I'm going. He replied, "You know where you are, you just don't know whereyou are in relationship to everything else". Mom would have loved this guy!Anyway, I made camp, cooked a dinner of stuffing and mashed potatoes with achaser of Earl Grey tea and another Snickers. I ate in my tent, having alreadydressed for bed at 5:30. With my food bag and trash safely hung on the bearcables, I settled in at 6:30 and was asleep by 7pm.Some things that I have learned so far:* That I can wear the same clothes for 3 days and nobody cares, not even me* That I really enjoy walking alone during the day, but want the company ofother hikers at night* That I can be happy with very little* That it's easier to pull out the data book and check where you are, than it itto take the wrong blue blaze to a shelter that doesn't exist * That the world doesn't end if you pee on your boot*That there is competition here on the trail, just like in the real world andyou have to decide whether or not you want to get caught up in it. I don't.* The large black four legged animal running toward you on the trail doesn' haveto be a bear. It just may be the largest Wrotty you ever saw~ friendly Wrotty, thank goodness* That the baggie you're peeing into in your tent in the middle of the night justmay have a hole in it. This was one of my tougher lessons!* Just because you have a dream that your hands are covered in poison ivy, itdoesen't mean that it will happen. Does it?Now for some things that I forgot to write about through the week:* Thank you to Happy and Jack for driving up from Atlanta to see us off and hikewith us for a few days. I enjoyed talking with you both! I wish that I hadremembered to get a picture.* Belated happy birthday to Grandma Pat, Scott from Salisbury, Md Grandmother.She was 84 on St. Patrick's Day. Grandma Pat, your grandson was a pleasure tospend time with in the Woods Hole Shelter, very friendly and entertaining!* Thanks to all of the people that have e-mailed my pocket mail! I lovere-reading the messages in the middle of the night when I get up to journal.I had better get back to sleep, I have another big day ahead of me tomorrow.