Date: 2009-04-28
From: Niday Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Tue Apr 28, Day 49: Fearing another hot day I head to the water source first thing this morning and drink a liter of water before topping off my bottles. I get a late start but don't mind since I only plan on doing 10 miles today. This way I'll be able to time my arrival in Catawba, VA for a re-supply and post office run. Who knows, Smiley and the General may even catch up. This has been a boring couple of days and I sound like a broken record. The scenery is so drab and made up of old pine forests unlike the rest of the trip. On the other hand, I've seen more reptiles lately. Lizards and salamanders abound. I even spotted a 3 foot black snake but it slithered off before I could grab my camera for a photo op. Drats!At VA 621 I spot yet another cooler filled with trail magic! Honey buns, candy bars, and peppermint candy make up the booty this time around. Finding treasures like this always puts a smile your face. Not far away I run into a turkey hunter. He's been pursuing two birds without any luck. We stop and talk. he tells me he's only heard turkeys calling but has yet to actually see any. Maybe soon?The climbs today have not been too awful bad but the heat causes sweat to form on your brow almost instantly. It's the kind of sweat that drains down your face and stings your eyes. It also attracts all sorts of bugs. They swarm around your head and follow your body scent as you walk down the trail. It amazes me how you can't out walk a flying bug! My only consolation is to use my "Buff" headgear as a handkerchief for blotting the beads of sweat off my face. So versatile the Buff is. What would I do without it?At one rest stop I get a scare. My Buff's gone! That's right, I look every where for it but can't find it at all. I even backtrack down the trail a quarter mile thinking it might have fallen out of it's resting place on the chest strap of my backpack. No luck. Darn it. Ahhh, but today is my lucky day. It mysteriously re-appears at another rest stop two hours later. Seems the Buff got stuffed way down inside the top section of my pack and overlooked in my haste. Wow! What a close call. I don't know what I'd do without my Buff. Probably the most versatile piece of equipment in my entire pack.Speaking of equipment, I love my LaFuma 40 degree sleeping bag. It's so darn light and compact. The first time I put it in my pack I thought I forgot something since the pack was so light. Now it's time to reorganize my clothes and mail home the rest of my cold weather gear. I'll tell Kim to mail me an extra pair of running shorts and shirt because the hiking shorts and shirt I've been hiking in are way too heavy. I'm still undecided about switching out to trail runner shoes yet. My Keen boots have performed very well and I worry trail runners will not provide the arch support I am accustom too. We'll see.I get to Pickel Branch Shelter around noon and head off to fetch water. It's a little ways off and behind the shelter. I'm able to wash out my shirt and shorts while there. At 1800 hrs I cook dinner. Still no sign of Smiley or the General. Normally Smiley would arrive at a shelter no later than 1930 hrs. The General, on the other hand, is know to hike at night so all bets are off on him. I'm surprized neither of them has made an appearance since there's no water for the next six miles and that's up and over Dragons Tooth and Devils Seat. My plan now is to get up very early and leave before sunrise to beat the heat. The earlier I get to Catawba to re-supply and hit the post office the better. Looks like a lovely night in the shelter......... Click here for audio journal