Date: 2007-03-13
From: Long Creek Falls

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

March 13, More Water, PleaseI woke up around 7 a.m. and it was 37 degrees but I had stayed warm all night! As soon as I got up, I started throwing clothes in my sleeping bag to heat them up, covering up my hot spots with some Tegaderm that my mom got me (sorry, Mom, doesn't work), and getting dressed.I made some oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast and cleaned up camp and then Michele and I started checking out where we wanted to go. We had been hearing that there was no water between Hawk Mtn. Shelter and Justus Creek so we decided to try to make it to the creek - more miles than we wanted on Day 2 but the water made it necessary.The day started off very relaxed. We both felt well rested and it was another sunny and warm day. We stopped a couple of times on the way to Hawk Mtn. Shelter to rest and treat hot spots. It was so nice and leisurely. When we were stopped at one point, I turned on my cell phone for a brief minute to send a text message and, with perfect timing, my grandma called... it sounded like she wanted to make sure I was eating well So, we got to Hawk Mtn. shelter around 12:30 and had some lunch, got water, signed in on the register, and met some other hikers. We met a woman who was 70 hiking with her boyfriend, Packrat, Not Guilty, and a couple of others whose names I can't remember. We also ran into Hangman and Patriot. It was good to relax for a bit and meet some fellow thru-hikers too. After we headed out of the shelter area, we met Hiker Chic and Blue Meanie and Michele and I sort of leapfrogged them for the rest of the day. The trail up until Horse Gap was not too tough but we were sure Sassafras Mtn. would, as they say, kick our ass, so before we approached it, we took a nice break with Hangman. I ate some Gushers for some extra sugar to help me out and I must say I highly enjoyed that. As it turned out, Sassafras was not nearly as bad as we were expecting. There were plenty of switchbacks. Justus Mtn. on the other hand? Miserable. It's only 0.6 miles to the top but it is STRAIGHT uphill. We met Sailor on Justus Mtn. and became a bit worried because he looked like he was really hurting and didn't have much water left. Yeah, that climb was bad and we were both pretty ready to be done but we still had a little over a mile to go. By the time we reached camp our feet were screaming, my knees were mad and my back was complaining a bit too. But, we got here and we'll take it easy tomorrow. Michele and I are here tonight with Hiker Chic, Blue Meanie, David from Chicago, Kay (maybe Ireland), and Chris (maybe Fun Toy). It is a great site and we are right near the creek. We got here at 7 p.m. so we pretty much sped through our camp chores before dark.Several times today we saw Army rangers and we even got a couple of waves. In fact tonight at the campsite, they warned us that they were about to practice shooting and we shouldn't be alarmed at the noise. See, we're highly protected out here.Today was another great day but maybe a little too long for Day 2. But it was nice to meet some more folks. Lots of people are trying out trail names but neither Michele or I have one yet. We don't think it's fair to name each other since we sort of know one another...so we'll see how that works out.I can tell my appetite is going to kick in sooner rather than later so I look forward to that.Hope everyone is doing well at home - miss you!- Sounds of the creek, snoring, and other little hips and hops here and there.   Post Trail Thoughts:Looking back, it's funny how much effort we put into planning our hiking days. Thankfully, this became a much more natural routine and one that didn't require so much labor. After a few years doing logistics for a living, I grew to resist doing logistics in the woods.When Certain and I saw Sailor laboring up that climb, we immediately were concerned for him. He was moving very slowly and had no water. It was great to see all of the progress he made in the weeks that followed.It was so nice to camp with a group that night and start to get to know people out there. It was obvious to everyone out there that we were in the learning mode. We weren't sure what the camp routine was. I wasn't sure if you just walk over to someone's campsite - was it like walking through the front door of someone's house without knocking? I wasn't sure if you invited people over for dinner. But somehow it just all happened that night and it was nice to hear everyone's story.In fact, it was a good day on the AT social scene. I had a nice time talking with Hangman and enjoyed meeting the other folks at Hawk Mountain Shelter. Packrat and Lucky reminded me of the movie "City Slickers" as Packrat pulled everything you could imagine out of his backpack. As we left that shelter, Patriot showed up. He had found an entire round (is that what you call the long string you can heave over your shoulder) of bullets in the woods. He just kept getting kookier.