Date: 2008-10-22
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Wildcat Ridge Trail
Miles today: 13.7

I did not get enough sleep last night. My mind was thinking about getting up early so as not to miss or inconvenience my trail angel, Bill, who was picking me up at 7. I set the alarm on the bedside CD clock for 5:45. My hostess promised to put out cereal, hardboiled eggs, and a muffin for my breakfast and showed me the milk and juice in the refrigerator.It never occured to me to check the time on the bedside clock with my altimeter time. When I had arrived I had seen that the clock was an hour fast but I had set it that first night and never gave it another thought. Mistake.The alarm went off and I leapt into action, getting dressed, packing up and getting the bounce box ready. (A bounce box has things you think might be necessary at sometime but not enough to take for the whole trip. You get it, take some things out, put unused things in and bounce it ahead to another spot on the trail.) My hosts had agreed to mail that to Harpers Ferry and the CD of pictures from the first part of the hike to my daughter, Sara.In the dim light in the dining room I managed to not notie that there was plastic wrap on my cereal bowl and therefore spilled the milk.Then when I sat down to eat I looked at my altimeter time and it was 4:30! Not 6:30. I look at a couple of clocks downstairs and confirmed the time. I went back upstairs to my room and looked at the alarm. That darn thing must gain an hour in every 24 hours and I never thought to check that last night.Well, I did not have to hurry. So I ate and did all my misc. chores and laid down on the living room couch where I could hear the chimes from multiple Grandfather clocks and dozed until my ride came. I did not get enough sleep.Bill, my trail angel cheerfully drove me to the trailhead and I started off. (Canyon Voice had told him about me. I think Canyon Voice has told everyone he meets about me.)It was cold! My altimeter thermometer said 34 and after I walked a mile it said 32. It hovered between those two numbers until after 10:00. I kept my shirts on, and my coat and gloves and mits and hat.The trail for the first few miles was steeply up and down and rocky. It really slowed me down. And then I seemed to have numerous stops to adjust clothing needs. I was glad I brought a fleece from my bounce box and after a while I settled on fleece and rain jacket so I would not sweat up my down jacket. Down won't keep you dry if it gets wet.I just couldn't seem to make very good time, or a least as good as I wanted. But the farther into the Shenandoahs I walked, the more smooth and graded the trail.I ate lunch at Calf Mountain Shelter and got water there as camp tonight was dry. So my packed was loaded with food and water too and I was just plain tired even if the trail was sommoth and graded.I met 5 SBO thru-hikers in the afternoon: Duster and Honey, Bookworm and Bootstrap and Muffin Man. I also met 2 SOBO section hikers rom Harpers Ferry: Foxtrot and Ajax.I kept plugging along the trail even if I would have liked to stop and take a long nap. And I actually got to the Wildcat Trail by 6:20. I am stealth camped 50 ft from the trail as per Shenadoah regulations, although I may not be a quarter mile from Skyline Drive. I did the best I could.I watched a beautiful sunset as I put up the tent and I watched the lights come on in Wayneboro as it got dark. It is 41 in the tent now and I am going to snuggle into my nice warm bag and get some sleep.