Date: 2007-05-28
From: Saunders Shelter, VA

To: Stealth site before Thomas Knob Shelter, VA
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept like a log last nite. Woke once to people snoring in their tents, but it was a great nite otherwise. Saunders Shelter is pretty cool with lots of great camping and hanging sites. The ground is covered in pine needles, so sound is muffled more here.Got up @ 6:30'ish to 52 degree temps, and Robert came over to me and asked if I wanted some electrolyte drink powder. Ironically, I had forgotten to pick some up, so I really appreciated the kind gesture. THANKS ROBERT!I was hiking by 8:15 a.m., and man, what a gorgeous day. There were a few tough climbs, but overall it was not the most physically demanding day. I'm still feeling "off" though, not sure what's going on. Still no appetite and my stomach doesn't feel right either. 18.3 (my biggest day yet! and 12 hrs of hiking). I'm absolutely beat right now.I met Bonnie and Clyde, as well as The Bobcat, who is another female solo hiker from Vermont. Seem like really nice people.The AT actually joins the Virginia Creeper Trail for a bit, and I hiked by Whitetop Laurel Creek for awhile. It was beautiful and many people were out riding bikes on that trail. I stopped @ Lost Mt. Shelter for some lunch. Again, no hunger, and a nauseaus feeling in my stomach when I do eat. Man, I better not be getting the flu or something like it.I saw where Persistent said hi to me in the shelter register. Pretty cool.After lunch, it was a pretty exhausting 4 mile climb up to Whitetop Mt. On the way up, thunder started rumbling in the distance and there were a few spotty ran showers today. It was just too hot for rain gear, but the trees are really filled out, so the rain didn't make it to me anyways.I wasn't sure if I should stay in the lower elevation and wait for the storm to pass or not. I decided I'd just listen to where the thunder was going and decide later, since I still had a ways to climb, and the storm was still in the distance.I got to Whitetop Mt., which was stunning @ 5080 ft and with 360 degree views, due to it being a bald.I climbed up on ths huge rock formation and just sat there looking down into the valley. I will say that I'm not able to get the shots I want with my camera, since I'm hiking alone now. I got one here, but if Persistent was with me, it would have been better. I could still hear thunder, but it was moving away, and then the sun came out too. It felt great.I took a pretty long break, and it was probaby around 4:00 p.m. before I got started again, and I still had about 7 miles to go..ugh. No enegy again today.I had 4 more climbs, and the last was Mt. Rogers. I was realy dragging, and had decided that I'd stop short of the climb up Mt. Rogers and stealthcamp @ Deep Gap, where there was water.Just before starting the last few climbs, there is a cow field and road. Well, let's just say that cow #25 (as tagged in her ear) fell in love with me. The cows were ON the trail, ad I stopped to take some pics. Cow #25 came up to me and immediately started licking the salt off my arms an hiking pole handles (from sweating all day long). It was hilarious, and you could tell she had experience with this before. I turned around and kept hiking, and she started trotting after me! LOL She woudn't stop following me, so I used the same tactics as I would for a bear, I banged my hiking poles together and yelled, and that did the trick. I also saw 2 bunny rabbits, one of which was really little, and I saw 2 deer that did not run away! I stood there for a good 10 minutes while these 2 young deer foraged for food. They'd stop an look @ me from time to time, and eventually they were about 200 yards from me! Pretty awesome I must say. I got some pics of them.So I keep hiking and of course, there's no sign stating exactly where Deep Gap is or where water is, so I keep hiking. Yup, I ended up climbing Mt. Rogers today afterall. T was already after 6:00 p.m., I'm just absolutely exhausted, and I decided I'd hike until the 12 hr mark and stop.The woods turned into that thick bigfoot-looking forest again! LOL I had hoped to reach Thomas Knob Shelter, but it was almost dark, and @ 8:15 p.m., I dropped my pack and found a place to hang. THANK GOD I'M A HANGER!! If I were not, I would have been forced to keep hiking on, because there are zero places for tents where I'm at. So I set up camp, and there's no good water, and I've only got about 3 mouthfuls left. I just don't care, I am so tired, I didn't (and coudn't without water) cook dinner. I just want to go to sleep. I ate a handful of yogurt raisins and called it good.So I go to bearbag my food, which turned in to quite the ordeal. First, the trees here aren't the greatest for it, but the absoutely most hilarious thing happened tonight.I tie my rock to my rope, throw it, the rock flys out of my rope and LANDS AND STAYS SITTING on the tiny branch I was aiming for! LOLI couldn't believe it! Even though at this point, I was borderlining on being in a bad mood, I coudn't help but laugh at this. I find another rock, try again on a different tree and the rock gets stuck so I had to cut my rope. I think my rope is like 15 feet long now (was 50 ft to begin with). LOL I finally got it, but honestly, a determined bear could get my food.The advantage of stealth camping by yourself is that you don't have to be quick about changing clothes. In other words, you can stand outside with zero clothing on, and let me just say, it feels pretty awesome to be nude outside. LOL (especially considering today was another day of chaffing)So it is 9:47 p.m., 56 degrees, and because I'm dehydrated and did not eat dinner, I am cold, but I have the clothes I need. I am proud of myself for making it 18.3 miles, but my god am I tired.My foot did really well today, but my legs are involuntary twitchng and jumping right now. It's a full moon and tomorrow I get to see the feral ponies @ the Grayson Highlands. I'm excited about that.Beyond exhausted......~Certain