Date: 2005-06-01
From: Lost Mtn Shelter Tentsite

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

What an exciting day! Most of the day I had a great time, even though the weather got progressively lousier as the day went on, and now I am alone in a cold shelter in the rain, in my sleeping bag at 8:00 to try to keep warm. Half of my clothes are on me. The other half are hanging all over the shelter in the forlorn hope that they will dry by morning.The day started out just overcast, but with a strong wind that started last night. After a 1900 ft climb (which kept me warm) the trail came out in the open at a bald called Buzzard Rock. The half mile over the summit was the windiest place I have ever been. At one point the gusts were so strong that I thought I might have to crawl. Back in the trees the trail was much easier, but the rain gusts were heavier and more frequent, so I put up my umbrella and started to climb Mt. Rogers. Unfortunately the summit of Mt. Rogers and the area after it, Grayson Highlands have no tree cover and the wind was so strong it bent one of the spokes of my umbrella, so I had to take it down. As a result I got wetter and wetter on my top half. My jacket is rain resistant, not water proof, generally a good thing because it breathes better, but not today. Grayson Highlands is supposed to be beautiful, grasslands with dramatic rock outcropping, but all I saw were rocks and bushes looming out of the mist. I did see 3 of the wild ponies that live there, but couldn't stay long because the only thing keeping me warm was hiking. A lot of the trail was very rocky, and wet rocks require concentration, so it was hard to admire the scenery, such as it was. I was very glad to get to the shelter and into warm dry clothes. I am the only one here tonight which is fine by me. I'm not in the mood to socialize, just stay warm. I'm trying to decide whether to go 16 miles tomorrow and go into town for a warm dry bed, or go 20 to the next shelter so I can get to the Relax Inn and my next food drop a day early and pick up a little time for later in the summer. The trails here are much easier (today was only about 3000ft elevstion total) and I am stronger so it's easier to do longer mileage. I suppose I will see what the weather is like tomorrow morning. At the moment it has just started to pour again. High winds and driving rain, by the way, is what the weather is like in the mountains when the local forecast is 50% chance of rain. Since nobody lives up here (except us thru-hikers) they never give a forecast for the mountains.I have to confess, by the way, that I talked to a tree today. I know. Everyone is saying, "She's been out in the woods too long." Here's what happened. I was climbing up the slope of Mt Rogers in the wind and the rain, when a voice said, "Hello" in sepuchral tones. I looked behind me but no one was there. Then I realized it was a tree groaning in the wind. I stopped and thought a moment, and it occurred to me that perhaps the tree had said hello, in which case it would be rude not to answer, and I didn't think it was wise to be rude to an old tree in a high wind. So I very quietly (in case someone besides me and the tree was listening) said, "Hi". Go ahead, call me nuts, but you start to think like that alone in the woods.