Date: 2019-07-03
From: Blackrock Hut (VA)

To: Pinefield Hut (VA)
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

So last night was exciting. I first woke up about 10:45 and my sleeping pad had deflated. I tried to go back to sleep but it was too uncomfortable, so rolled to the side and blew it up again. I also heard some sort of flapping noise in the shelter, so I put in my earplugs to block the noise (what I don¢t know won¢t hurt me). About 2 hours later, I am awakened by headlamps. Apparently a couple of the women had heard something outside that they were sure was a bear, so they went out to scare it away. My sleeping pad had once again deflated, so I blew it up again. When I woke up this morning, my sleeping pad was fully inflated but I saw a mouse crawling through SC¢s stuff. Fortunately nothing appears to have been chewed on. Before we got out of camp, a sobo section hiker stopped by to fill up on water. She had stayed at the Picnic Area last night because she was hiking with a dog and they are not allowed in shelters. She had talked to a ridgerunner who said the reason for the closure of tenting here was that some people who were tenting had left their food outside by their tents and got it taken by a bear. Today we parted company with our slumber party crew. The hammocker has to drive home in order to go to work on Friday. The other 3 are planning on stopping at Loft Mountain Campground and getting a campsite. SC and I have been planning for some time to go to the next shelter in order to set us up for a 20-mile day tomorrow. We see them off and on throughout the day. Our first stop of the day is at the Dundo Picnic Area which is now also the Blackrock Hut tenting site. SC and I agree we could have made it here yesterday if we needed to. The trail between Blackrock and here was relatively tame. Finally we reach the campground. SC and I sit outside the campstore charging our electronics. I buy $20 of food and eat everything but some popcorn immediately. Next to the outlets and campstore there¢s the nicest bathrooms I¢ve seen in months. They also have showers but we still have 6 more miles to hike and we will just be gross and sweaty right after we start hiking again. Eventually we tear ourselves away from the wonderful campstore to take our place back in the world of hiker trash. At the next shelter we meet a new-to-us hiker who just returned from an immigration interview. She thinks the way to get the process going is to tell them you¢re hiking the trail. She¢s tenting. Also tenting are the same 2 hikers we¢ve been seeing at the last few sites. We¢re sharing the shelter with a guy we met at the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter.There¢s a bear pole here along with a bear box. Most people use the box because it is easier. I use the pole because I¢m a pro at it now and because we¢re trying to get an early start tomorrow and the tenters are close to the box (which makes a lot of noise to open and close).I have everything set up to get an early start in the morning. I was going to try to sleep in my hiking clothes, but I just can¢t do it so I¢ll have to change. I warn our sheltermate that last night I had to reinflate my sleeping pad 2x last night before turning in for the night.