Date: 2019-04-02
From: VA 601 stealth site on Brushy mountain

To: Hurricane Mt shelter
Miles today: 15.2

While I laid in my tent last night listening to the cows down below and waiting for the sky to go dark I heard voices. A loud male voice and 2 softer voices. I listened for a minute thinking they had passed by but then I realized they were still there and I stuck my head out of my tent and told them there was plenty of room here if they wanted to camp. They needed water though, and that was 3 miles ahead. It was already 7:30 and I offered them a liter of mine but it wouldn't be enough and they hiked on. As soon as the sun disappeared the wind came out to play and that it did, all night. It reminded me of my sleepless night at Fullhardt shelter, whipping around leaves and twigs by my tent and making the trees creek and groan. And it was COLD. I was bundled up with my pajamas over my hiking clothes and my puffy, hat and buff on. My tent does a good job of sheltering me from wind but not cold. I slept in shifts of 2-3 hours at a time. I woke up at 3am shivering. I has to pee and as much as I hated to go outside and bare my ass I had too. The body uses it's energy to keep the pee warm and getting rid of that was key to getting warm again. I soon fell back asleep and woke again around 6 but stayed snuggled in dozing until almost 7:30. I did not want to get up but I had to. It was so difficult to break down camp with mittens on and too cold and windy not to wear them. So I alternated between mittens and no mittens so I could work more effectively. I left camp at 8:15 with no breakfast. I did brush my teeth because the thought of smelling my own breath while breathing thru my buff was too much and the buff was necessary. About 20 minutes into my hike I had to eat so I chose one of the frozen delectibles from my snack bag and slowly worked at it. It was a cliff bar and on the wrapping it says sustained energy. I could feel every granule of sugar between my teeth but it did sustain me for a while. When I reached the first shelter about 5 miles out I made myself a late oatmeal, nice and hot. It was worth the walk down to the shelter which I begrudgingly took. When I came back up to the trail I met Jack Daniels and his wife Moffet. They were super nice and I really hope I see these people and can give them trail magic in NH or VT. I met RD and his dad at a road crossing sharing the last can on trail magic coca cola and a few other hikers today. Flatlander and Magnolia with their very unfriendly dog Peaches. She was a nasty little thing! I met them just outside the trail to hurricane shelter and I was happy they were hiking on. I went up to the shelter and was delighted to see I had phone service but not happy with how cold it was and the fact that the wind was blowing right in. I called my son Kyle who had a work question and then I decided I'd have to move on to the tenting area nearby so I did that. I located a nice spot and just after I set up Buttercup arrived. It's nice to have some company. She set up and we ate dinner and hung our bags. By 7pm I was in my tent getting bundled up and journaling. I hope I'm warmer tonight. Tomorrow I'm sleeping inside. I've already booked a room and a shuttle. I can only take so much cold at a time. Even if I had a heavier quilt I'd feel the same way because so much time is spent setting up and breaking down camp. All the camp chores are done in the cold, even cooking and eating are in the cold.