Date: 2005-05-11
From: Dutch Haus B&B - Montebello, VA

To: Waupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: few clouds

Miles hiked today : 18.618.2 AT miles + 0.1 miles of side trail + 0.3 roadwalk milesI woke up this morning at 7:10 a.m. after a fairly good night of rest. I'd become a little warm during the night and my pillow fell off the head of the bed while I was sleeping, though these were minor inconveniences.After waking, I retrieved my laundry from the clothesline and began folding it and placing it into plastic freezer bags. Partway through this chore, breakfast was served and I had pancakes, quiche, and several pieces of fruit.After breakfast, I finished packing and read a magazine until Earl was ready to take Doc and I to the trail. Earl wasn't able to drive all the way up the jeep road to the AT, so we had to walk the last 0.3 miles, which was a steep and rocky uphill climb. I was back on the AT at 10:25 a.m. and the temperature was already in the low 70s.There wasn't much to the first 4.7 mile leg of today's hike. Climbing upward in the heat was tiring and had me sweating quite a bit. I reached the side trail for The Priest Shelter at 12:15 p.m. and didn't feel like walking the 0.1 mile to sit down, so I took a 5 minute snack break at the intersection before continuing on. 0.5 mile later, I was at the viewless summit of The Priest Mountain and over the next 4.3 miles, I had a 3,066 foot descent to the Tye River. During the steep descent, I took a poorly placed step and ended up with both feet sliding down the hill and landed on my butt, only after slightly scraping both my legs. Cha-ching, fall #15.I arrived at the Tye River at 2:20 p.m. and was happy to find a bucket full of ice and sodas, courtesy of an injured day hiker waiting in a vehicle for his friends. Red Rover was also there and during my 35 minute break, Frenchie showed up. Apparently I'd passed her when I skipped stopping at the shelter. Frenchie was done hiking for the day, as a friend of her Mom's was picking her up for the day for some r&r. Red Rover is headed to Trail Days in Damascus on Friday, so I might not see either of them in the near future.There had been warnings of thunderstorms for this afternoon and while I was taking my break, I watched the clear blue sky fill with clouds. Shortly after heading down the trail at 2:55 p.m., it began to rain and I could hear thunder in the distance. The rain picked up and soon my shirt and pants were soaked. The temperature was still in the 70s, so the rain felt good. The only downside was the sweat washing off my face and into my mouth.Leaving the Tye River, I faced a 2,973 foot climb up to Three Ridges Mountain, though I didn't have any intention of continuing past the shelter 2.6 miles down the trail until the storm passed. Oddly, it passed within 20 minutes and the sky cleared up. I arrived at Harpers Creek Shelter at 4:00 p.m. and stayed for a 45 minute break.After Harpers Creek Shelter, I still had 2,170 feet to climb over 3.7 miles. The climb was steep and the humidity was high. It felt like I was hiking through a jungle. Once I cleared the summit, I had a 980 foot descent over 2.5 miles to Maupin Field Shelter. The climb between shelters over Three Ridges Mountain was very rocky, which made my feet sore.I arrived at Maupin Field Shelter at 7:45 p.m. and sat down to cook dinner before pitching my tent. The sky is clear and I can see the stars, though there have been a few silent flashes of lightning, so it may rain tonight.Bedtime at 10:30 p.m.