Date: 2003-03-26
From: Icewater Springs Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We reached another milestone today...well, two, but one bigger than the other. The little one is another 10 miles, over the 210 mark, and the big one is...(drumroll please) we've reached the 10% mark! We're at just over 219 total miles and the entire trail is 2172.6 total. Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal, or a lot, but I still think every 10 miles is an accomplishment.We'd heard threat of rain last night and until about noon today, but it came late, and appears to be sticking around. We had awesome views from Charlie's Bunion this morning, and spent some time messing around there, and taking pictures, then moved along. It wasn't long after that, that the skies clouded, and the drizzle began. Pack covers were put on and rain coats were put in easy-to-reach places in the pack. The only time I used my raincoat was when Hotdog and I stopped for lunch, and I got a little chilled. It seemed the rain was just enough to keep me cool on the long uphills today, so I didn't bother with rain coat. If I were still out hiking now I'd be wearing rain pants and coat because we've had some harder showers since I made it to the shelter. (And right on cue, the rain begins again.)It's almost 5pm and the shelter is filling up. It usually does on chilly rainy days. Lite Shoe and PopPop are supposedly still coming to this shelter tonight too. That'll be a 15 mile day for them. Of course, we'll all make room for as many as possible in this weather.The 12-plus miles I did today was plenty for me. For some reason, my right achilles/calf was not happy with me. I don't know why, but I hope tomorrow is a better day for that. Tomorrow will be an easier day, according to mileage anyway.Yeah! Lite Shoe and PopPop made it! We all made room in the shelter for them. In all, we have 18 of us here, and all but 5 are thruhikers. The thruhikers are Hotdog, Wench, Lite Shoe, Slow Ride, Fixy, PopPop, Yukon, Smokey T, Homerun, Smooth Navigator, Fly By Night, Grasshopper, and Trail Frog. Dindee and Lance are hiking for about a month from Newfound Gap to Damascus. There were 3 guys out hiking for a few days too, but I didn't catch their names. The shelter is built for 12, but we could've fit in at least 2 more, if they'd come.Some people have told me that they don't believe my journal is totally honest. They say there's no "pain-in-the-butt" stuff in it. Here's that stuff, just in case I've mislead anyone into thinking it's all roses: body aches at night from sleeping on wooden shelter platforms or hard ground, being around guys most of the time, peeing in the woods, pooping in the woods, having my period while in the woods, changing in a shelter full of guys, sore feet, sore legs, sore knees, oatmeal for breakfast...AGAIN, farts all day long and not all mine, no soda, no real food until town, stumbling on rocks going uphill and downhill, slipping and falling, twisting ankles and knees, smelly privies, smelly feet, smelly clothes, wearing the same clothes all day every day, wearing rain suit while all other clothes are being washed and getting stared at by tourists because of it, chafing, dandruff, blisters, then blisters with duct tape on them, carrying around a heavy backpack all day every d!ay, not finding water where the guides say water is, crowded shelters, mice in shelters, bears in camp, tenting on uneven ground and sliding to the foot of the tent because of it therefore touching the rainfly and therefore waking up in the middle of the night with cold wet feet in a cold wet sleeping bag, waiting an hour and a half for a hitch to town, no shower for days, wiping face on sleeve, wiping hands on pants, nose always running so snot everywhere especially on sleeve or on nearby vegetation via 'snot rocket'.See? It's not ALL fun!Just.... mostly!