Date: 2012-05-12
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 6am and felt cool air on my face.  I leaned to my left and watched the sun start to come up over the horizon.  I watched the colors brighten and the sun slip behind a bank of clouds.  I got out of the hammock and went over to the rocks to get a better view but I preferred it from my swaying hammock.  I went back to sleep for another hour before grabbing my food bag from the tree.  I dropped Josh's bag off at his tent and said good morning.  He was reading and I told him that I was feeling pretty lazy too so neither one of us needed to rush.  I ate breakfast in the hammock and eventually finished that bag of Golden Grahams.  That was such a good idea.  Individually wrapped Pop Tarts have a funny flavor that is different than the kind that come in the boxes.  I thought at first it was just Cherry but it runs the gamut.  The packaging is different (plastic vs. foil) and the individuals seem to be more robust.  Either way, I think I have bought my last name-brand toaster pastry for awhile.  Pop Tarts are no longer a part of my balanced breakfast and will sit on the sidelines after I eat through my supply.  Captain Crunch, get warmed up, you are on deck!  I got caught up on my private journal thoughts until the sunshine got too warm and I got out of the hammock.  I turned 45-degrees and sat right back down in the hammock, hiding my face from the Sun's warming rays.  I inspected my feet and gave them a rubdown.  They are doing ok and I can feel them getting tougher and stronger, but I can also feel that I am doing more damage each day than I am able to heal at night, even with my feet elevated in my hammock.  I still haven't taken any ibuprofen yet on this trip and want to keep it that way.  I carry it just in case but might leave some in a hiker box one of these days.  I packed up after swinging for a bit and hit the trail at 10am.  I did mention that I was feeling lazy, right?  The first water source was four miles away and I got there in 90 minutes.  I filtered a liter and change, downed a bunch, and headed up the trail to sit on a log to eat a second breakfast.  I got to the next shelter in another 45 minutes and ate two sandwiches with Josh.  We hiked together for a bit, apart for a bit, and eventually finished up at the next shelter together.  The terrain was pretty mild today and we even walked through cow pasture but my feet were done and Josh was hurting too.  He had been dragging all day.  I think the break in Damascus will do him good.  I plan to go on up ahead and get some more miles in before my friend P-Mo (Poetry in Motion) joins at Trail Days.  I discovered that I had left my fuel canister at the last shelter and cooked dinner on the coals of the fire.  I have probably ruined my pot but will try and fix it in Damascus as soon as I can get a sponge.  Half the pot is black on the inside and I am sure it will never be the same.  Dinner was really good tonight, although I am hungry again at 9:30pm.  My teeth are brushed and flossed, my food bag is hung, and I am swaying in the wind of what is probably the next front moving in.  I hear plenty of animals scurrying about in the leaves and imagine the weather is about to take a turn for the worse.  Damascus or bust tomorrow!  Leaving early..