Date: 2017-03-20
From: pine swamp shelter

To: laurel creek shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: scattered clouds

3/20: Laurel creek shelter - 18.5We woke up with the sun around 7. There were 2 platforms on either side of the stone shelter, and a fireplace in between. Maverick, Ally and I slept on one of the bottom platform areas together, and there wasn't enough room. We were a little squished, but it was l definitely a roasty toasty night.The morning was warm too. It was downhill to a hilly section next to a creek where it was chilly. We almost pushed on to tent there and we were happy we didn't. About 1.4 miles in we made it to "the captains place" and we figured it was a pretty good time for a soda.A guy who lives on the other side of the creek put a zip line/pulley system up so hikers can slide across the creek and get a free soda from him back porch. The hiker we met last night said he doesn't like to come outside and talk, so we just made a quick stop.He had some rules posted by the creek and they said you are allowed to camp on his lawn. I waited with maverick by the creek when ally went over. The zip line is like a wooden playground swing and maverick would have had to just dangle. Like most people on trail, ally and I don't normally drink soda, but we chugged it down and kept moving. The day was filled with a few long and steep climbs and some pretty rocky and bumpy sections. We took a ton of breaks and didn't make very good time at all. We weren't too worried about it.We went up a big climb to the next shelter where we ate breakfast. Oatmeal, protein bars and other stuff. We were there for a little over an hour.The trail leveled off after that on top of a ridge, but it was rocky at times. Our pace wasn't much better than it was on the climb to the top. Then, towards the end of the day, the trail dropped off the ridge to War Spur shelter and went all the way back up over a mountain.We took a break at war spur and it was 5.8 more miles. It was a pretty tough climb and dark clouds started filling the sky. I made it to the top and checked out the view point before ally made it there and kept moving. Ally ended up skipping it because some rain drops we starting to fall.We both ended up making it to the shelter before the rain. It was suppose to start at 7, but it didn't start until after we got in our tents around 8. We made it to the shelter around 515-530.We almost gave into the convenience of sleeping in the shelter, but my tent has been wet in my bag for a while. We set up camp behind the shelter. I don't sleep very well in shelters. I like having my own space to organize all my stuff in. Everyone always says they don't snore, but they probably do and they probably have one of those loud crinkly sleeping pads too. Shelters are a community space, so it's always a gamble - unless you're a really deep sleeper.March is flying by! We've been laying down at night around 745 pretty consistently. When we get into camp, maverick normally passes out for about 30-45 minutes, wakes up, eats, then runs around and brings me sticks trying to play and then passes out in the tent when I go in. He then sleeps through the whole night and either wakes up with us, or wakes up with the sun and just sits and stares at me.