Date: 2009-03-13
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Haven's Budget Inn
Miles today: 0.0

The time change still has me confused, not that it matters a whole lot on the trail. Get up with the sun and go to bed at sunset. Really, its called hiker midnight. When the sun is going down all your chores are done and you are zipping into your bag as it sets. Conversation is minimal with thru hikers at this point. Some read a little, some journal, or plan the next few days of hiking, some are already asleep. There also seems to be an unwritten rule that the people who snore can get to sleep first and sleep the longest. Few make it through the night without getting up to visit the forest. 12 hours is a long time in bed if you are hydrating properly. The confusion is first thing in the morning when it is sunrise but also 8:00. No wonder I'm so late getting out of the shelter in the morning.Today was a zero day to get some stuff done. Groceries for the next stretch of trail, laundry, update the journal, hit the local outfitter, and catch up with trail friends over dinner.I'm still trying to adjust my pack weight down so I bought a pair of Crocs. I'm not real happy about giving up my Keen Water Shoes but 2 plus pounds of difference was too much for me to ignore any longer. Also got some Aqua Mira to treat my water. Sent home the shoes, steri pen, an insulated water bottle holder (still have one on my pack) and my hearing aid and batteries. I only have one and wear it in my left ear. However, that is the side facing west so the wind was always hitting it and I was't wearing it when it rained. I just didn't wear it at all the past week. Home it went. Hope you don't think I'm ignoring you. Also sent home my prescription glasses. Going to wear my prescription sunglasses all day and I don't need the regular glasses at night in the shelter. Bought a small, cheap pair of reading glasses at the drug store just in case.Please be patient regarding my photos. I was not able to send pictures to Flash from the computers I have been on. Hope to rectify that soon. I know I have described a couple in my previous journal but they are not yet available for viewing. Sorry about that.So now I'm going to use Aqua Mira, whose instructions say to put 7 drops of each bottle into a cap off one bottle and let them set. Put into a liter of water and wait a few minutes before consuming. Hey Flash, I texted, quiz time. If you put 7 drops into a liter, how many drops into my 20 ounce bottles? All that advanced math he studied apparently took because it was not very long before I got a text back to put exactly 4.375 or 4 and 1/8 drops into a 20 oz bottle, good luck with that partial drop. I am going with 5 drops.Shortly I will leave with the 11:00 shuttle to the trail. My friends think I'm crazy because it is raining quite hard. I've had my zero and only have 3 miles of climbing up to the first shelter, where I plan on spending the night. I may be wet and/or cold but I'm intending to go. Knees and hips still a little sore but nothing like the problems I was having last week. Thank you everyone for your encouragement and support. Spoke with Grey Squirrel last night. She is such a great support team. I lean on her a lot.Will update again when I can.See you on the trail.John