Date: 2013-06-26
From: Seely-Woodworth Shelter

To: Mauphin Field Shelter
Miles today: 20.4

Today I got started at 7:30 and hiked all day til after 8:30 PM. I came upon Half Life and Titus camped up on Spy rock and they were breaking camp. I continued on to The Priest shelter for my second breakfast. As I left Priest Shelter I made a wrong turn and went back down the hill south. I could sense I was going the wrong way, my guide book says I should be going up and up. I saw Titus coming up and finally I admit I am going the wrong way. Such is life on the trail, however at least I hadn't gone far. Titus asked, "Whats wrong?" I said ummm one of is going the wrong way I think its me. So back up I went. I took some pictures of the Priest Rock or what I thought was the Priest and on I went. I met a feller I had seen many times and finally started to chat him up his trail name is Miami. He's been living in Georgia but grew up in Miami. He is and interesting young man who has brought a rather heavy Nikon SLR camera on the trail. He makes frequent stops and hikes 'fast and stops again. I see him frequently on this day.Coming down from we drop over 3000 feet and its a very hot day near 90 I think. It gets warmer as we drop lower. At the bottom by VA 56 we see some Trail Magic , ice cold cokes, craisins, and trail mix. Thank you Den Mother and Popo for providing the goodies. We crossed the road and there was a suspension foot bridge across the Tye river and Half Life was wadin in the river. Yes the bridge swayed like a bridge in an Indiana Jones movie.We washed up in the river drying out clothes on the rocks and soaked a bit. It was very refreshing. Some day hikers discovered a water snake and Miami confirmed it chasing it away. Half Life was soaking his aching shin splints next to me as I was sunning on the rocks. Suddenly he jumped and yelled, maybe he screamed. I kinda jumped as a chain reaction. There was another water snake popping its head out of the water comin up on the rock. I ran to get my camera but I was too late. All and all we saw about 4 different water snakes. The weather looked like it was gonna storm, we heard distant rumbling. Half Life and Titus were only going 3 miles to the next shelter which ofcourse is up and up for 3 miles. I decided to get to the shelter before the rains come. We had stopped during the hottest part of the day to avoid hiking up in the heat. Any way up I went and though it was after 3 I began to sweat a bit. The storm continued to rumble behind me and then over and past me. It never did rain, but it drives you up a mountain faster. I arrived at Harpers Creek Shelter and met Moonwalker and her husband maybe Hiker Trash, I cant remember his name. She'd done the trail in 1990. I had an early dinner and I was going to stop fthe day but I continued on to Mauphin Field Shelter. I went up over the Three Ridges Mountain which was easily the most difficult climb I can remember in quite some time. I climbed over 3000 feet up late afternoon and early evening. About a half mile before Mauphin Field Shelter I saw Miami in the trail stopped. He stated he'd almost stepped on a rattler. The light was fading and I couldn't see well but it looked like a black stick.   As I cautiously approached well out of striking range ( how far would that be?) I could see his rattler and unorganized pattern. Miami gently moved him off the trail and I ran by the snake quite fast umm faster than I'd moved in a while. We got to Mauphin at dark and I wasn't settled after chores and eating until around 9:40.I was rattled but still smilin'