Date: 2012-05-03
From: HoJos Express, I-81 interchange, Troutdale, Dalevi

To: Wilson Creek Shelter 733.7
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

We slept in late, then packed up, ate some cereal in the breakfast room, and met Man Cub and Kit Fox. After that we headed with our packs to Kroger's to resupply. (Random thought: It felt weird to throw away extra food, but we didn't want to carry extra weight, and there was no hiker box in which to put it. The same went for throwing glass and plastic into the trash can instead of recycling, as we would have at home.) After resupplying, we stopped at the outfitter to get some insect repellant for our clothes, to keep the ticks off. (Random note: This was reputed to be a banner year for ticks, which can infect people with Lymes Disease and other illnesses. Apparently, last winter was a mild one, so fewer ticks were killed off by the cold. The shelters have warning signs about the ticks, and now that it is warmer, we have seen a few. We hoped that spraying insect repellant on our hats, gaiters, shorts, and shirts would minimize the problem. Of course we also did frequent tick checks, and tried not to camp or even sit down in tick habitat. We hoped that this would be enough, but, just in case, we also carried a bottle of the antibiotic used to treat Lymes Disease.) Lastly, we stopped for fast food and large glasses of iced tea before getting back on the trail. We especially enjoyed the iced tea since it was HOT outside. As we walked to the trail, we passed a thermometer on a bank: 88 degrees at 11:30 am. Whew! Once on the trail we immediately noticed how much cooler it felt in the shade. We started slowly so as not to overheat. Besides, we were so stuffed from breakfast and lunch that we couldn't have moved faster if we'd wanted to. (Random note: We ate all we could whenever we could, but especially in town, to try to keep from losing any more weight than we already had.) We noticed many cicadas, dead and alive, and the holes they had emerged from, as we hiked along the trail out of Daleville. We also saw a skin that had been recently shed by some sort of snake. We arrived at the first shelter, Fullhardt Knob Shelter, after two and a half hours...not so bad considering the heat and the hill. We got more water, this time from a cistern, treated it, and visited with "IKEA," who was trying to get a shuttle to get to a dentist... It was never fun for to have a cracked tooth at any time, but especially bad on a thru hike. We continued on, with only six miles to go to Wilson Creek Shelter at mile 733.7. Along the way, Gary spotted a two inch long toad, which blended perfectly with the ground. We climbed up, over, and back down three or four ridges, none very big, then saw a two foot long, quarter inch thick green snake on the trail. We wondered what a snake so tiny eats. Bugs? Once we arrived at the shelter I walked down the blue blazed trail a third of a mile to a nice water source: a stream with a little water fall. I quickly filled the water bladders and went back to the shelter so Gary could prepare dinner. It was a long walk to the water, but not bad on a short day. Besides, many people in the world walk farther for their water. As we were fixing dinner, IKEA came in. Then, later, Dragon, IKEA's son. After we finished our dinner, IKEA finally found a shuttle driver willing to take them into town to have his tooth fixed. (Random thought: It's the people on the trail that make it special. We'd seen Man Cub and Kit Fox's posts in the shelter logs for several weeks and didn't know who they were until this morning. Nice young couple, just out of college. Kind of reminded me of us when we were that age. We also enjoyed talking with IKEA about his IRONMAN triathlons and our hundred mile runs. People passed, got passed, and re-passed others on the trail, depending on how far they were going on a given day or days, and who was taking a zero day when, or who was meeting friends off the trail for a day or two, or whatever. It's never "bye." Rather, it's "See you on the trail.") It's great to be on the AT, especially when you start the day with lots of town food, and are able to see lots of wildlife on the trail!