Date: 2017-10-19
To: Trimpi Shelter 
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: clear sky

10/19Trimpi Shelter tenting9.8 milesBoy, I sure slept snug as a bug in a rug. It seemed a lot warmer than predicted. I had to stick an arm out of the sleeping bag to cool off a few times. I wondered if my belly full of pizza did it or if it really were warmer. No answers were forthcoming. I managed to ignore my bladder until six in the morning. I got up to answer the call, but then I got back in my bag. I was ready to get up, but everyone else was asleep and I didn't want to wake them. I have no idea how they were still asleep - they were heading into eleven hours of sleep at that point. I watched the sky for half an hour. First the last, brightest stars, then the edge of dawn lightening the horizon. Eventually I figured I would start rustling when Chipmunk did. The two of us didn't speak but did start moving. I fetched my food bag and ate breakfast in bed - cold pizza and Pepsi. I wondered if I would feel cold from all the cold food, but I did not. It was a pretty great breakfast, although it felt a little weird to eat savory food. It was definitely more filling than my typical honeybun and coffee. Wally and Treats stayed in their bags a while longer. In fact Treats was still in his bag when I left, and he had been the first in his bag last night. Clearly the boy likes his rest. Powered by cola, I rambled quickly through the morning. I warmed up on the first mountain, stripping down to one layer as I sweated. At the top I checked for cell signal and was able to access the internet. I was surprised to find that the temperature was apparently 45. Maybe I'm acclimating to cooler weather. Certainly I have been hiking with just my shirt and my thin windbreaker in the mornings when it's barely 40. I layer up quickly when I stop moving. I need to get a stuff sack for my down jacket so I can safely keep it near the top of my pack. Right now I'm wearing it while packing up and stashing it in a ziplock right before I close up my pack. Shortly after descending the mountain I was surprised to find that it was lunchtime. I found a nice rock to sit on. Another slice of pizza and more Pepsi was most of my lunch. I had packed out a Rice Krispie treat too. It's not homemade, but I haven't had any but store bought in long enough that it tasted all right to me. In the afternoon I walked through the meadow that used to contain a bus. It's less junky now but also less interesting. Soon thereafter I was at Trimpi shelter, my destination for tonight. It's a very short day but it leaves me well situated to meet Shannon at a road crossing tomorrow. And then three days after that I should find JD in Damascus! Spouse JD, not hiker JD, although hiker JD is catching up.  I could see him too. With lots of time in camp, I set up my tent to dry out. It had occurred to me that it was probably still damp from my riverside night. It sure was damp, too. I left it empty to dry while I hung my bear line. It took me many tries and two trees to finally get it over a good branch. One throw managed to get the entire rope somehow up in the tree and tangled up. That took a while and a long stick to undo. Another throw managed to catch the tail end of the rope in thorns. The rope and I were both somewhat worse for wear after that, although at least the rope wasn't bleeding. Getting water (spring status = slowly running) I was delighted to find a crawdad in the pool. He looked furious at me for cleaning leaves out of there. Had I realized he was using them, I would have left them alone. He glared at me for a while, then slunk under one of the remaining leaves to sulk. The privy looks new and quite nice, although not extremely private with its half height walls. It was out of duff so I grabbed the bucket and rake and went out to get more. I didn't do a fantastic job. The duff here is very thin. It's hard to get any without newer leaves in it. I did the best I could. I noted positive graffiti in the privy. I don't think it's okay to write on structures, but I guess "Thanks for the nice privy" is a best case scenario for graffiti. Less positive but evoking sympathy was "I don't need trail legs. I need a trail rectum. "