Date: 2019-05-11
From: Stealth site mile 312

To: SamÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap-NatureÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Inn Hostel & Cabins
Miles today: 7.7

I stealth camped last night after my high tailing it out of the last Hostel.  The site was really nice. Close to a stream for water bathing and sound effect. It started raining mid morning about 3:00-4:00. It rained and rained. I was hoping it would stop or let up. According to Dark Sky weather app it was going to. I was dry but not for much longer.  I don¢t use a ground cover under my tent and I haven¢t added any additional waterproofing to it. The rain was already splashing mud onto the outside of the tent in spite of the rain fly.  Eventually the ground water started to seep in under my mattress pad and my sleeping bag was half wet.  I kept checking the weather. My destination was 7 miles or 3-4 hours hiking to the next gap where I could find a hostel. I didn¢t think a shelter was going to do much good. I found a shelter and they had room, now to get there. I really didn¢t want to pack a wet and muddy......everything. I took a nap to see if the rain would let up.  No luck, I had to pack up in the rain. It was a mess everything was splashed with mud.  I got moving and I didn¢t remember the book showing much uphill. But, There was uphill and it took like what seemed forever to get to the only shelter before the gap.  There was one other through hiker there, he didn¢t have much to say but we¢d meet again.  This was probably my most miserable day on the trail. I like walking in the rain. I was just not mentally prepared to start in the rain packing up.  My bag weight had to be 4-6 lbs heavier with everything soaked. I do have a new pack cover but it only protects the pack and what¢s in it.  My shoes did great until the last 1.5 miles. It was downhill and the tread on these shoes is not as aggressive. Plus the crew had just done trail maintenance and installed stairs. It was between stairs that they had broken up the earth and it was a slippery mud pit. I think too the ground was more red, meaning more clay??? Which I think is more slippery.  I had two minor falls today. once I stepped with my right foot and it slid left, I fell onto my right side, no damage. The second time I slid on a downhill and almost went head over heels but, I landed on my knee, again no damage.I finally got to the gap and I called the hostel for a ride, they said they would be right there.  I met Smiles under the bridge, he said he was going to continue on. He asked about my name, I told him Sloth gave it to me. He had met Sloth but, He had not seen Sloth in weeks.  While I was waiting the, not much to say guy, from the shelter wandered up. I told him I had a hostel picking me up, he got in on that ride. His name us Ace. I¢m staying at Nature¢s Inn Hostel & Cabins. Taft and Sara run a great place, super clean and super laid back.  Everything is on the honors system. You make pizza put it on your tab, you do laundry put it on your tab.  I stayed in the 3 bedroom house.  There were 3 other through hikers I had met a few days ago staying there: little shoe, principal (both retired educators), and a 3rd guy I cannot remember his name.  I got dried out, laundered, and fed.  Taft even made a beer run, took everyone¢s order and made the trip to town.  Camelback Santa showed up with Strider (she does about 20 miles a day). Everyone else here was not very chatty. I finally found some string and made a necklace for two amulets I have been carrying. They have a small amount of ashes in them from Merle and Daisy. I might do 24 tomorrow, We¢ll see?