Date: 2003-05-31
From: Jenkins shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

It rained last night as I knew it would but it wasn't raining in the morning so I was able to break my tent down and still keep it fairly dry. Started walking and after a few miles there was a decision to make. There was a very low stretch that not only paralleled a stream for a couple miles but in that couple miles crossed it some 12 or 13 times. There was a high water trail that you could take that many people had warned me to take since there had been so much rain, however it occurred to me that if they had taken that trail then they couldn't know what the actual trail was like. Since I am a purist (I walk past every white blaze) I wasn't going the high water route I wanted to see the stream crossings. They weren't bad, almost every one of them was easily crossable by rock hopping although some were slightly submerged which made it a bit tricky. I had no problem with the crossings. It started to thunder as I made it through to the other side and I knew I was going to get wet. Here we go again. I made it to a road crossing and across just into the woods there sat a cooler, trail magic. There were apple juices, grape juices, and V8 cans in ice. It was a refreshing treat just before the storm hit, and hit it did just before I was going to put my pack back on. I was very discouraged about getting poured on again, having sopping wet boots again, sloshing around again. The rain was getting very old. I sought refuge under a rhododendron then a hemlock tree. I was getting slightly less wet there. Wigglestick shrugged, put on his pack and hiked on, then Bucky. There I was hiding under a tree like some kind of defenseless animal cowering from the storm. I was disgusted with myself, what was I doing hiding. I summoned up the courage to unhappily trudge onward. Then the hail started. I was not having fun. I walked on and the thunderstorm passed leaving me soaked to the bone. I kept on walking in one of the poorest moods since I started.I reached more trail magic in the form of spring water, ziplocs, and a trash bag none of which I was in the mood for. I hit another major road crossing and about a mile of road walking. The sky was very dark and as soon as I hit the road it started pouring again. A fresh soaking. I hiked a hard mile and a half uphill to the shelter I was staying. At least the rain had stopped. I was miserable. The shelter was full so I had to set up my tent in a light sprinkle. The water at this shelter was about .3 of a mile down a steep hill which didn't do anything to help out my mood. My other problem was that with the zero day and a couple low mileage days, I was about out of food forty miles before my next mail. There was a grocery store about 18 miles that I had to make it to the next day. In the meantime all I had was some cereal I would eat for breakfast and a salmon packet and a tuna packet. These fish packets weren't really enough so I decided to try and add some calories with some olive oil I was carrying. I drenched the salmon in olive oil and tried to fry it up. I forced that down then fried the tuna. Each spoonful I ate was about half oil and half fish, it was terrible. Too much oil. I went to bed very upset and unfulfilled after a bad day.