Date: 2010-05-28
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: few clouds

Since the temps were a little cooler today and to make tomorrow a short day, I hiked longer today than normal. After about 16.5 miles my feet started to ache badly but I managed to drag myself into the shelter shortly before 7 PM. When I arrived at the shelter area, it was already populated with several tents and the full shelter only held 7 so I chose to tent.Last night at Brink Road, even with 2 dogs and a full shelter of men, was relatively quiet and I got some good rest. I was up at dawn and on the trail by 6:45. At Culver Gap, I stopped at the store for second breakfast and met up with Ladybug and Rambler. We hiked together up to the pavilion at Sunrise Mountain where I ate lunch. Shortly after, Cool Tool came jogging up the trail and passed by me quickly. He had been on the trail since Springer and was trying to make some big mileage by running when he could. I¢m not a runner and I wondered why someone would subject their legs and feet to more abuse than the trail already subjects them to. On my way to the next shelter, a couple of day hikers pass me and asked if I had dropped a rain jacket a ways back on the trail. I told them no and that I had all my belongings but didn¢t even recall seeing the discarded jacket. I wondered if it was Cool Tool¢s but the day hikers had left it on the trail and I didn¢t want to go back to fetch it so I continued on to the next shelter. There I was taking a break when Cool Tool comes out from a blue blazed trail and asked me where the AT blazes were. At this shelter the guide indicates the trail bears left down to a parking area about a third of a mile from the shelter and then continues back up to rejoin the ridge after another half mile. The blue blaze that Cool Tool had found himself on just stayed on the ridge but was about the same distance. He had gone almost to the point where the AT rejoins that trail when he decided he was off the trail and needed to retrace his route to find the AT. While I was talking to him about the trails, I asked him if he had lost a rain jacket and he looks down at his pack straps and realizes that he had. I told him about the day hikers and that I had seen them way back near Sunrise Mountain about 3 miles back. So he decides to leave his pack at the shelter and run back up the trail in search of the jacket. About this time Redtail and FreeDumb come into the shelter for a break. Only a few minutes after Cool Tool had left I hear him with Ladybug and Rambler emerging from the forest. They had picked up his jacket and were bringing it forward hoping to find the owner. Often hikers will fine lost items and carry them to the next shelter or town, perhaps hoping to find their owner or in this case hoping for a new rain jacket for Rambler. They did their good deed and saved Cool Tool from needlessly hiking 6 to 7 extra miles.I continued on my way walking the mile or less of blue blazed trail towards Rutherford Shelter. This shelter is 0.4 mile down a side trail and since it was still the middle of the afternoon I decided to go on another 4.3 miles to High Point Shelter. About a mile after making this decision my feet started to really ache. It seems that if I try to hike more than about 16 or 17 miles my feet don¢t like it and they tell me big time. I had to slow my pace and take more frequent breaks.This is a nice shelter area with lots of grassy areas to tent on. There is a good flowing stream and it was peaceful listening to the water as I drifted off to sleep after dinner.