Date: 2018-05-18
From: Peter's Mountain shelter

To: Yellow Springs campsite
Miles today: 13.4

Mr stinky feet got up at 4pm, was extremely quiet and respectful and hiked out. At 5am Joe Kool's alarm went off. And then again a few minutes later. His gang was up, the ones in the shelter and in tents and it was full conversation about the "dirty thirty" ( how many miles they were planning to hike today) and scurvy ( spoken with a pirate voice). Now I'm having my first 2nd hand cigarette of the day followed by weed lovely. I wondered for a few minutes if I were actually back in middle school and if they'd break out in a fart game or just finally be ready and get out of camp. I want them to be successful in their 30 mile endeavor so I don't have to spend another night with them. I learned later that they'd gotten drunk in Duncannon the night before and been a spectacle. Finally they're all gone a little after 6. I layed there until 6:30 and decided to get up. I'm fully awake as is everyone else. I have a cold breakfast and T-Bird hikes out with me at 7:45. He likes to hike with us because he's only hiking PA and then he goes back to work. He feels motivated and has a better pace than when he's alone. He's a good hiker and he keeps a 2 MPH pace just as most of us do. He's quicker on the downhills than I am and uphill is tougher for him because he's only been out here for 1 week. He's easy going and not chatty. Thumper, Rx, Steady and River all leave after us. Steady is doing 10 miles and Thumper isn't sure if she'll stay with Steady at the campsite 10 miles out or hike on to Yellow Springs campsite for 13.4 which is where I'm headed. The spring at Peter's Mountain shelter is down 300 stone steps. Mind you, I'm no slouch...I'm hiking the AT, but I conserved my water because after watching anyone else who made that trip I wasn't going to go there! I had a half liter in my water bladder and Thumper gave me another half so I left this morning with one liter to make it to the next water source 6.4 miles away. Since it's cool out this morning I'm confident with that. T-Bird and I run into Thumper on trail near the spring. She'd passed us a while ago. She hikes faster than our 2 MPH pace. When T-Bird and I finish getting our water at the spring we head back up to the trail and we find Steady there talking with another hiker. She confirms that she's feeling good and going to camp 10 miles in at a campsite on Guthooks. It's right up the next climb. I've got lot of water because there's no spring or privy at Yellow Springs campsite. That climb was long and persistent over 2 miles but the grade wasn't bad and this 13.4 mile day really felt great. The temps were great, the terrain was great and it seemed to roll by. I spotted a porcupine by the edge of the trail. He was very cool, I've never seen one so close. Great photo opportunity! One concerning thing is that we kept hearing these loud booms. It wasn't raining yet today but heavy rain and flash flooding were on the menu for after 2pm. Oh joy. I like hiking alone a lot. I can pee ( or poop) when I need to and it's not awkward. When I'm hiking with Brian I can tell him I have business to do. But I'm hiking with a stranger. It's different. If it were a female I'd feel comfortable, but T-Bird is a man. I need to do #2. Yes, in the woods....there aren't toilets along the way. We had agreed that we'd stop at a campsite and historic marker noted in the book for lunch. We find a rock and T-Bird runs off down the blue blaze trail to find the men's room. When he comes back I grab my potty kit ( consisting of a trowel, TP, wipes and sanitizer) and I wander down the blue blaze trail, step off trail and dig a cathole. What a relief. Except the booming sounds are louder now and I hear machine gun fire also. I walk back up to the rock where we snack and head back out. As we continue we pass a few more campsites. By now I assume we're close to a military base and the booms are mortar and the guns are artillery. We finally arrived at Yellow Springs campsite and Thumper is there sitting on a rock by a fire ring eating dinner. She looks relieved to see us and expresses the same when we walk over. She was starting to think we might not make it and she'd be alone there for the night. Guthooks has a review about the site being haunted. I make camp next to her and go over to the fire ring and make my dinner. I've got chicken vindaloo tonight. Perfect! While I'm eating Rx and Field Trip come into camp and set up. After dinner I brush my teeth and grab my bear line. I head off towards the woods and T-Bird asks if I'll hang his bag on my line. So we go out together to look for the perfect limb and I see it right away. Except it's already got a bear line on it ready to go and doesn't look like it will support 2 more bags. So we scout and search and I try a couple of others but they are obscured by smaller branches and leaves and I can't get my line around it, it keeps getting caught up on the obscuring branches. Finally T-Bird locates a limb not quite as high and is able to toss the rock sack over it. We string up the bags and T-Bird ties it off the old fashioned way, not PCT style. I don't care, I'm tired and I want to crawl into my tent. I'm excited to be in my tent after a few rainy days of shelter sleeping. I dive out of site for the evening before the rain comes in. I ready a gallon plastic bag near me and anything else I'll need because the rain is moving in. I'm not getting out of this tent in the middle of the night to pee and get all cold and wet. Its cool out so I sleep in my wool and fleece. The mortar and artillery fire continue until 11pm when I hear taps. That's late. I have trouble sleeping because my legs are restless and it's keeping me awake but after taps I'm able to finally drift off.....and I hear the wind and the rain. Heavy on both accounts.