Date: 2004-04-27
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: John's Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today has been a very enjoyable day so far. I could see my breath in the air so I decided to stay in my sleeping bag until the sun was out and it was a bit warmer. With the longer hours of daylight and having only planned 16 for today I knew I could afford the luxury. I ate breakfast in my bag, listened to the radio and watched the forest come alive as the sun peeked over the trees. At night, as darkness approached I always wish there was someone else in the shelter with me; if I¢m alone in the morning I¢m usually thankful that there wasn¢t. There¢s something much more peaceful about not having to talk to anyone in the morning but just enjoying the quietness and stillness of a new day.I walked 12 miles to the next shelter in good time, it was mostly downhill. My shorts and shirt dried as I walked, which I was thankful for. I ran into a day hiker, out enjoying the weather and Double Nickels and Endorphin, 2 NOBO¢s who are slacking for a few days. They¢ve been reading my register entries since the beginning. I whipped up a lunch of Backpacker Pantry Lasagna, mmmm! In one of the shelters I found a can of Sterno Cooking Fuel so I took it with me because I have all this hot food and no stove. It gives off the same heat as a medium sized candle so it took a good 12 hour of fiddling around to finally get lunch cooked. It is probably faster then collecting wood and lighting a fire though. Not that I am pressed for time so it doesn¢t really matter I guess.The weather started off really beautiful, sunny and clear but as I was cooking lunch clouds started to roll in and it looks like rain. I¢m torn between packing up and trying to get to the next shelter before it does rain or just hanging out here for another hour or two and seeing how the skies look then. It is only 3:30 and it¢s just 4 miles to the next shelter. I could leave here at 7:00 pm and probably make it before dark. I think I¢ll take a little nap and wait that¢s always the better option, I think.At about 4:30 or so I got up and started to pack up and take off my warm clothes and put on my hiking stuff. As I was hoisting my pack onto my back some drops of rain started to fall from the sky. How could I not laugh at such perfect timing? Anyway I decided to walk no matter what and it turned out to only be a little 2-minute sprinkle.The last four miles were awesome, the first 2 along a river and then the last 2 along a little creek. How pleasant the sound of running water is. Now I¢m here at the shelter in a beautiful little hollow alone again. The forecast on the radio said it is supposed to get down into the 30¢s tonight, burr! I¢m happy I still have my warm sleeping bag. I have a feeling that these are the glory days on the AT for us right now. It is usually good temps for hiking in the day, sometimes a little hot but not crazy hot. Then it gets a little colder at night making it easy to sleep. There¢s no bugs (at least none that bite me) spring is in the air, there¢s not much rain, and no snow and wildflowers are abundant. Really in central Virginia it is an amazing time to be outdoors.Another milestone: I finished 1/3 of the AT today, 760 miles or so. To write that on paper makes it more real to me, that I¢ve walked a staggeringly long way. What percentage of the world¢s population could say they¢ve walked that far, even in a lifetime? I like milestones, they make Katahdin seem a lot more real and attainable and less overwhelming.I¢ve been so blessed with good company, good health and good weather that these miles have seemed almost effortless. At the time, a lot of the obstacles seemed huge but looking back I can see them as small hurtles that I easily jumped over. What¢s a little snow except being cold for a day or two? What¢s a little knee pain except your bodies way of telling you to take a day off. Rain everyday for a week, however, may be an entirely different story.