Date: 2007-11-04
From: Hightop Hut

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

mi. 21.4sleep hammockdest. Blackrock Hut day 115 I woke up and decided to wait until it was light to pack up. Which was at 7-ish. I felt much better. Amazing what a good night of sleep and crazy deams will do for you. I packed up and eat breakfest. I ended up hitting the trail just after 8. I was looking at the register here last night. Our buddy Certain was through here around the 15th. I don't know anyone else that goes by Certain, got off the trail than back for a few days, and would draw a hammock in the register. Good to see she is figuring things out. I also saw Gator signed in. She must have jumped ahead on the rainy days. She said she was thinking about that after hiking the section we were on before. She is only 10 days ahead, if she stays on for a few weeks, I should catch her. I usually don't read past a few days back in the registers. I may have missed them in others. The plan stood at a 20 today and another tomorrow into town. Doable. I would just be a little on the hungry side. Whenever you are feeling good and hungry, it's Skyline time.Gather your friends and family together, it's Skyline time.SkyyyylineSkyyyyline That kept going through my head today. As I kept crossing Skyline dr. It's a Cincinnati thing. Google Skyline Chilli and you will understand. I could really go for a large 3 way, 3 chz coneys with onions and mustand, and a large pop (as we refer to soda in Ohio). I got to the next shelter around 11am to find someone there. I got some water and made coffee and chatted for awhile. It turns out he is another trail bum (I use that word as a turn of affection). He is out hiking around and has done the AT a few times. He goes by Jaybird or Weapon of Mouse Distruction. Appearently he killed a lot of mice on his winter southbound thru hike last year. Like I said, a hard core trail bum. It would have been nice if I pushed on and stayed here last night. I really enjoyed talking with him. I think we talked for over an hour. I thinkl I said it before, but I love talking wth other long distance hikers. You instantly know a lot about them. what they have done and gone through. and usually get along and have a lot in common. But he was going north and I was headed south. He did say he stayed with the group just in front of me. They are still about 3.5 days in front. Funny. I thought they would have done bigger days through here and pulled ahead. If I wanted to I could have caught them by Rusty's. One or 2 hiking companions ok, a group not so. Today I finally saw my first bear. I was walking along just past a campground. I was on a section of trail a little ways from a road. I was also seeing a few piles of bear poo. Or scat as people call it in the woods, I prefer to call it what it is. I was walking along and noticed there were not a many leaves i the trail here.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          o pics though. Maybe next time. After that I was feeling great. Even more so than when I woke up. It is amazing what talking to someone and havng a good trail/nature experience will do for me. I even stopped to talk to a couple day hikers a mile later and tell them about it. I even volunteered the info that I was a thru hiker. Something I usually never do and try to avoid. They also gave me the compliment I looked healthy. I got to the shelter at the nice time of 5:30. After once again seeing the AT being an easy way. It skated what would have been another rock cramble in any other state. It looked like filler gravel was brought in to fill in the gapes oin the rocks of the trail and make a smoother surface.I got to the shelter to find company for he evening. An engineer with the Navy. We ha a good litte chat over a small fire. I had managed to have a fire at every shelter through SNP. Tonights was small due to lack of good firewood.