Date: 2013-06-07
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: moderate rain

The rain continued throughout the night. Apparently we're getting some of the tropical storm rain. Either way, I slept like a baby. At 6, it was still coming down, but by 6:30 it had drawn to a light drizzle. The only way you could tell that it was coming from the sky and not just falling off the tree limbs was by looking at the surface of the adjacent pond. Calm except for little circular ripples. For the first morning since I've started the hike, I had Pop-tarts. They are a pretty popular breakfast item on the AT. I'm just about out of granola, so I thought I would give these guys a try. Even 410 calories, I was still hungry. Hmmmm, maybe I'll have to have two packages next time....I put on my cold wet clothes. What choice did I have? I even put on the wet socks that I could squeeze water out of. There was no need to put on dry socks. We were all in the same boat. Oh the joys of multi-day hikes in wet weather. I bid my farewells and headed out.Without thinking, I headed straight passed the "shelter" sign. I was lost in my thoughts as I climbed up the hill. I stopped about a half hour later to take my rain jacket off. The rain wasn't coming, and the climb was getting me hot. But then I thought, Today was supposed to be mostly a "down" day, especially at the beginning. And I should have crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway within a half mile (about 15 mins of walking) of leaving the shelter. I hadn't. I consulted the guidebook pages. Yep, I should have been heading downhill, not up. I looked at my compass. Usually it's not much use because rarely does the trail head north-easterly. But it confirmed my suspicions. I was headed south. Damn it. I'd gone at least a mile, maybe more. So my 15 mile day had just turned into a 17 mile day by the time I retraced my steps. I tried to visualize what I had seen when I had arrived the evening before. I was coming downhill, Breeze in front of me. The shelter sign was pointing long way where I couldn't read it until I go right up to it. Breeze got there first, he'd said, "Shelter, we're here." Yep, I'd gone the wrong way. I got back to the shelter sign, and I turned right downhill. As expected, within 15 minutes I was at the Blue Ridge Parkway. There was a lamented sign thumb-tacked to a tree. In August of 2011 an AT hiker was found murdered on the side of the trail, and the FBI was asking for any information the public might have. This was the first I'd heard of this. It made me feel uneasy. To this point, not once have I felt in danger, but this gave me pause.Goldie Locks, Occupy and Olga caught up with me and passed. I told them about my mishap up the mountain, and we had a laugh about it. Breeze, Wind, Buckles and Cheese passed as well. I followed them as we walked along the Lynchburg Reservoir. You could see the lake through the trees. On a warmer, less cloudy day I would be tempted to stop in for a swim. But today, it didn't sound the least bit appealing. There were a few stream crossing that required rock hopping. With wet shoes, it's a little more fun. You don't care so much if the water rushes over your feet. There were a few cascades where the fast waters cut a hard notch into the sides of the river bed, undercutting the rock causing a sideways cave. Mother Nature is powerful and patient. I stopped at the Brown Mountain Creek Shelter to take a picture. I had officially reached the 800 mile mark! I took a piece of charcoal from the fire ring and wrote "800" on the side of the shelter. Goldie Locks and Occupy were there, so I had a photographer. The last 100 miles have been the most hard-won since the first 100, so it felt somehow more significant. I met up with Breeze, Wind, Buckles and Cheese at US 60. They were hitching to Buena Vista for a resupply. I decided that the "wet" part of the day was probably over, so I would take this opportunity to change my socks. I peeled the two layers off. They smelled of sour mildew. I swear they are rotting on my feet. My feet were white and puckered and pruned, as only feet that have been in soggy shoes and socks for two solid days can look. It was hard to believe they are attached to a live body. The dry socks felt so good, though I knew it was going to be a short-lived euphoria. There was a steep 1 mile climb up. I passed a couple of section hikers coming down. I asked how bad the climb was. They looked at each other, trying to decide how forthcoming to be. They looked back at me and said it was going to be tough. I thanked them for their honesty. They were right. It was tough, and steep, but at least it was mostly rock-free. The vegetation on either side was thigh-high, thick and lush. My thoughts shifted to the malevolent. I thought back to the lamented sign I saw earlier in the day. One could easily hide a body in these bushes. It gave me the willies. (But it made me feel better to read in the shelter journal that Davy Crockett had had similar thoughts, I'm not the only weird one). I felt a blister start to form on the inside of my left foot. By then, my dry socks were as wet as the ones I had just taken off. I had no other socks to put on, and moleskin wouldn't stick to my feet anyway. I kept going. I took the side trail and walked an extra .6 miles (making my true daily total around 17.7. It's aggravating that I don't get credit for it!) down to the shelter. I was all alone. I washed the mud off my legs, set up my bed and ate a cold MRE (buffalo chicken with fried rice). My stomach continued to growl. I hung up my wet clothes and assessed my food situation. I'll need to resupply before I get to Waynesboro. I've gone from having way too much food to not enough. You'd think by now I'd have the routine down, but it's not so. Just as I was settling in to write in my journal I heard a stirring outside. A jolly fellow came around the edge of the shelter. It made me jump. Bus had arrived. He turned out to be great company, and after my dark thoughts about the lush vegetation I was happy to have someone else there. Just in case.....My spirits are much better this evening than yesterday and this morning. My knee is doing okay, still not 100%, but I'm feeling more positive. Thank you, Universe, for letting me be right here right now. I have a pretty darn blessed existance.