Date: 2004-05-09
From: Damascus - Zero Day

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

As usually happens after I take a zero day, I am with a whole new group of hikers. All of the hikers I have been with have either left the trail or are gone on ahead. I know the names of some - K2, Mushroom, Mayagues, Friar, Sierra Marmot - seven or eight others whose names I do not know or they have not said. Today I awoke at 6:00 and packed up, ready to leave by 7:00. I took a chance on breakfast and found a convenience store open that serves biscuits, coffee and juice. That worked out well and I was ready to leave by 7:30. The trail through town is level and I quickly reached a set of stairs leading up off the road and onto the mountain. The hike up to Saunders Shelter was a significant climb. Somewhere along the way I ran into Little Chicken, and we talked briefly. She was headed south, back to Damascus. I felt pretty strong after the zero day and made about 10 miles by noon. Then I found an old woods road veering off from the trail with shade and green grass. I hiked about 150 yards up and out of sight and dropped my pack, laid out my sleeping pad and took a one hour nap. Then I took a one hour lunch break. That refreshed me and I was ready to go. The afternoons are very hot now, and I think if I take a two hour midday break it should be from 1:00 to 3:00, so the heat begins to let up shortly after the afternoon hike begins. The afternoon hike was not extremely challenging with elevation gain and loss. I eventually came to the section where the AT and the Virginia Creeper Trail follow the same path for about one mile. A highlight was crossing a very long foot bridge (Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge) high over a stream. After crossing the bridge the AT separated from the Virginia Creeper Trail and entered the woods again. The remaining hike climbed Lost Mountain and I am here at Lost Mountain Shelter. I originally had planned to hike about 12 miles, but then tomorrow would have been 16+ miles, so I hiked 15 today and will have a better distance tomorrow since Mount Rogers is right ahead (really Whitetop Mountain is the first obstacle). Most of the crowd plans to hike 17+ miles tomorrow to the next shelter (Wise Shelter), but I have pretty well spaced distances until Thursday and the end of my hike, so extra miles are not really necessary. I am ready for the night and will sit at the fire with the others for awhile and then do some reading in the New Testament. I sent home the Heavilin's book. It is very interesting and I know I will finish it. I just wanted to lighten the load some. Also, the book is beginning to come apart. So, the first day of the last leg is completed. My pack is very heavy with 5 days food - minus one day now that the evening meal has been eaten. There were a couple of beautiful views this morning, but most of the afternoon was socked in with thick forest close to the trail on all sides. There was a section where the AT climbed along the left bank of a stream, and the Virginia Creeper Trail traversed the stream itself, or mostly followed the right bank. I was typically above the stream, but close enough to enjoy its rushing water going over the boulders, or the quiet pools, and the sometimes deep, dark sections when the forest was heavy with shade, or when the rocky cliffs would provide a particularly remote feeling. It was a really pretty section. Tomorrow I think the elevation will go over 5400 feet, so it will be beautiful. Today was Sunday so I daydreamed about our regular Sunday routine. It was also Mother's Day, and I think all the kids were planning to join Marlene at church, and then out to eat at Sol Azteca. I hope that it all turned out well, since I was not there for the special day. I miss Marlene enough already. Goodnight Sweetheart and happy Mother's Day.