Date: 2003-05-21
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: moderate rain

The rain started sometime early this morning, which led to a late rising by everyone in the shelter. I got up around 8:30 to use the privy, and shortly after, others started moving around too. Dutch Haus Bed & Breakfast offers free lunch to hikers, and will pick us up near the trail and return us there too. They pick up at 10:30 and 12:30, at a road that was 2.3 miles north of the shelter. Many of us at the shelter were interested in a free lunch, but we were slow getting ready. Lite Shoe left around 9:30, Smoothie and I left around 9:45, and Fly left around 10am, all trying to make the early shuttle. Hotdog wasn't going to go. We were cookin to make the road, and Fly, Smoothie and I got to the road at about 10:35. Then we went downhill about 200yds to a gate, and then 300yds more to a road crossing. I was thinking "If we missed the darned shuttle, I won't be a happy hiker going back up those roads!" When I saw others standing around waiting, I was relieved. Then ! I began to wonder if the owners show EVERY day, or miss sometimes. I had my answer before long when the red Chevy Tahoe showed up. Ten wet, smelly, hungry hikers piled in, along with their 10 wet, smelly backpacks, plus the driver and one other person. I don't know how we made it!The Dutch Haus is a beautiful log home! And they let us hiker trash in, as long as we took off our shoes/boots and didn't sit on anything upholstered. There were plenty of chairs in the kitchen and sunroom though. Soon, plates were being placed at tables. Each plate had a cheeseburger, homemade potato salad, juicy orange cut into quarters! Oh my goodness! There was hot tea, iced tea, coffee, and juice. Then there was nachos and quiche. Wow! These people were extremely nice to do this. Someday, I'll return to stay a night or two. It was awesome! After lunch they took us by a store then to the trail. What great people!The rain had mostly quit, but the trees were dripping and rain still threatened. It actually made a great day for hiking. I wore my rain jacket, and sweated like a pig on the uphills, but didn't take it off until the last uphill, after we hadn't had rain all day.I hiked with or near Lite Shoe, Fly and Smoothie today, and sometimes alone. While alone, hiking in the fog, I found I wasn't thinking about anything outside of the trail I was on. It seemed to me that nothing else existed. People weren't working or driving around. There was no news, no world issues. It was just me and the fog and the trail. And I couldn't imagine anything else. Of course, when I realized that, I blew the moment and started thinking about things outside the trail. For the moment though, it was a great feeling.I'm at a shelter with 9 thruhikers, (including Dog) and 1 section hiker. The section hiker's trail name is Frenchy. I said "Cool! That's my last name." It's his too. He's from Harper's Ferry, WV, but we don't think we know any of the same Frenches.   Coincidentally, we're right next to one another in the shelter, at one end. I told everyone that for tonight, this side of the shelter is known as The French Quarter. Bad humor is good on a drizzly day.This shelter is near a creek, and this is the third time in four nights I've stayed the night at a creek. I hope I don't wake up thinking it's pouring down rain, when it's just the creek. THen again, I hope, if it sound like rain, it really IS the creek, and not rain! I could use some sunshine. But, I'll make do with what I'm given. What else can I do? Besides, town is only 27.3 miles away... That's a good thing! I can't believe it, but it's true: Tomorrow will mark two weeks since I've washed my clothes! Yuck! I've had a shower since then, but not done laundry. I am SO looking forward to both! Two days away....