Date: 2007-10-31
From: Front Royal

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

mi. 13.5sleep hammockdest. Gravel Springs Hut day 111 This morning the good food continued. Eggs with chz, toast loaded with butter, fruit, bacon, and coffee. I also finally finished of my half gallon of choclate milk. I should have packed up last night, but watching tv, catching up on my journal, and making a few phone calls was more fun. That reminds me of something I haven't mentioned before. Whenever I take a town night, a large chunk of time is spent doing this hike related. It isn't all eating and relaxing. I usually have to resupply or repackage a maildrop, repair or replace something, clean my cookware, or catch up in jounarling. It usually amount to 2 hours of trail related something. Oh I forgot the biggest, laundry. That takes up the most time and is the biggest inconvience. I have learned to pre-wash at least my socks. The trick that works for me is putting them on the floor of the shower as I am showering. That or a lot of pre-washing in a sink. I figure that if I don't get the dirt out, it will just mix in with the rest of my clothes. Then there is the whole inconvience of wearing something strange be it rain gear or loner clothes while my clothes are in the wash. Sharon did have a cotton t shirt for me. It felt great to wear cotton as opposed to poly for once. I just thought I woul!d share this side of things. It isn't all me eating and watching tv, just part of it. Thanks again to Sharon for all of her help. It amazes me how I continue to meet wonderful people who take me into their homes for a night. One of the better experiences I am taking from my hike. Anyways, today I entered the Shannendoh National Park (SNP). The actual hiking wa really easy. One thing I like is the shelters here have bear poles. I am usually not the best at hanging my food from trees. They are just poles with hooks you hang your food from. You use a long pole to hang it. An enteresting manuver itself. If you can't tell I am also getting lazy and addicted to staying at the shelters. It's just conveint. They usually have water, unless the spring or stream failed. They are also nice to lounge in and sit in. I can only lay in my hammock so much. Usually not long before I fall asleep. I got dropped off at 9am and started hiking this morning. I was pretty tired today and decided to stop after 13.5 ish miles. The issue with shelters in the SNP is they are listed as being "a day's hike apart". Which comes out to be anywhere from 8 miles to 13 or 15 apart. I got to the shelter after taking my time and relaxing at 4pm. The next one was 13 or so miles away. I really did not feel like hiking until 8pm tonight. So an early stop for me. I am thinking tomorrow I may try a huge day and see what happens. I am thinking I can either make 28 or come close. If I get an early start. That i the distance i                                                               The trail crosses Skyline drive something like 18 times. At certain spots there are waysides for people to stp and eat. Some even have louging. A couple offer tap rooms, I hope that means tasty beverages. If that happens, then I could see tomorrow being not so long. The one tomorrow is listed as being open until the 4th, so I should be good. A couple random funny things. I was walking down to the helter when I passes an older couple. We talked a little. I asked them if there was water at the spring. They said just a little, it looked muddy, and if I had a filter. Basically a yes but a mudd puddle. They did say yes when I asked that there was water in one form or another. As long as it was there I can get it somehow. I find a good spring. Not flowing, but refilling. There was also a small flow a few yards next to it. The main one even had a salamander living in it. Good enough for me. I also got the crap scared out of me. I was sitting in the shelter reading. My food was on the picnic table in front. When a deer ran almost in front of the shelter and into the woods. I wasn't expecting to see this brown blur run by. Pretty funny after the fact. I have also decided that maybe I have been on the trail too long. I have been known to turn on a bad movie or tv show and watch all of it. I have taken that to a new low, or high depending on how you look at it. I mentioned I picked up a cheezy romance novel to do a VA is for lovers series in the registers, more on that another day. I started to read it at 4pm with the intention or reading just enough to find a good first entry. Well I am know half way through the 200+ page book. It is like looking at a train wreck. I just can't put it down. I am cracking up reading it though. It is probibly a good thing no one is around me tonight. I would most likely have read a quarter of what I read to them. I have a tendency to do that and this book is just that funny. Onward to bed, after one more chapter in my book.