Date: 2016-05-02
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

5/2/16I had a good welcome back to the trail night. First I was in my tent and after a while the rain moved in and the lightening soon followed. I stayed in the tent for a while but the lightening struck really close by so I packed up my things and moved to the shelter. Topo thought I would be joining them and made a spot for me. So the storm lasted for over an hour...I nod off and the next thing I know a mouse runs across my chest. My sleeping bag is unzipped and fortunately he doesn't come in and join me. The rest of the night is pretty uneventful. I am with some early risers...they are up a little after six getting ready for a new day. I make it up and gather my stuff and try to dry off the tent before packing it up. I make it on the trail by eight. Just 100 hards from the shelter I cross over into WV for a short while and then back to Virginia for the rest of the day. I stop for lunch a little after 11 and get a tortilla and pouch of herb and garlic tuna. Open the tuna and it is like a brown gravy and it stinks as it pours out onto the tortilla. I pour it off on the ground and throw out the package and tortilla. I use a wet wipe to clean off the tortilla bag and try to wipe my fingers off. It helps but it my fingers continue to smell like that nasty stuff. I open another package of tuna and it is fine so I have that some chips and peanut butter crackers for lunch. A hiker (Farmer) passes by and stops to chat. He started the Mar 20. I am thinking I will be seeing a lot of him because he started three weeks after me and with the time off trail we are close to the same speed. We meet again at the next shelter and he decides to push on and I stay back because I don't want to over do it with my leg even though it is only a little after two. Another couple come through and head out. Not long after that a storm moves in with heavy rain dime size hail and lightening. One thru hiker gets to the shelter just as it is starting. The hail continue 5 to 10 min. After it stops hikers start coming in one by one until we total seven. They are kind of a group and been hiking together for a while. About a half hour the rain stops and they decide to move on, two decide to stay at the shelter. So 45 min after they leave another storm bits with rain, hail and lightening again. Four new hikers come in so we have seven people in a six man shelter. Later three more stop but they decide to head on. Definitely a lot of hikers out here but I'm sure it's not like it was when they were at Springer... A lot of people have dropped out. One of the guys is also fighting tendonitis, he is just trying to push through it. He is limping around pretty good. I was making big miles but now I have slowed down and everyone else is doing big miles so I think I am going to see a lot of folks (too many to remember names) until I start doing higher mileage days. I get dinner and the smell from the tuna earlier today because that's where I keep my trash bag. I think I will be able to throw it in a trash can tomorrow...can't wait. Spring is in the air and I am seeing more bugs, lizards, catapilliars, racoon's, squirls.