Date: 2005-05-10
From: Salt Log Gap

To: Dutch Haus B&B - Montebello, VA
Miles today: 10.3

Miles hiked today : 10.37.8 AT miles + 0.1 mile of side trail + 2.4 roadwalk milesI woke up this morning at 6:35 a.m., packed quickly, and hit the trail at 7:10 a.m., eating breakfast while walking. Sometime in the early morning, a group of 5 teenage hikers I'd passed last night at Hog Camp Gap had passed by my tentsite. Two of them were shouting to each other and it seemed that all 5 of them felt it necessary to shine their headlamp on my tent. This served to illuminate the inside of my tent and woke me up, though I quickly fell back asleep.On the trail, I made good time and reached Seeley-Woodworth Shelter at 9:15 a.m. having covered 5.5 miles in 2 hours, 5 minutes. The temperature was already in the low 70s, which meant that the temperature would probably be in the 80s by noon. The group of teenage hikers was at the shelter and I stopped for a 20 minute rest break. While talking with them, I found out they'd left Hog Camp Gap at 2:30 a.m., which means they probably passed my tentsite around 3:30 a.m. They're planning to do the majority of their week long hike late at night so that they can avoid the heat. Not a bad idea, except that I don't care much for night hiking.I left the shelter at 9:35 a.m. and covered the 2.3 miles to Fish Hatchery road, arriving at 10:15 a.m. The roadwalk to the Dutch Haus began over a long, steep downhill 1 mile rocky jeep trail, which became a paved road at the fish hatchery. The fish hatchery was open for self-guided tours, though there was a $1 fee. It appeared that there was nothing more to be seen than what could be seen from the road, so I moved on.I reached the Montebello Camp Store at 11:05 a.m. and stopped in for a quart of orange juice and a 2 liter bottle of cola. From the store, it was another 0.5 mile uphill to the Dutch Haus and I arrived at 11:25 a.m.I was greeted by Lois, one of the owners (I later met her husband, Earl) and was shown to my room. I was the first person to arrive today, so I had my choice of top or bottom bunk in my room. I chose the bottom bunk and explored the rest of the Dutch Haus, discovering that the other 3 rooms all have queen size beds for double occupancy. Sometime during my walk from the store, the Dutch Haus had lost power, which meant that lunch was being delayed. It also meant that I'd have to wait for laundry and a shower, as the water is made available via an electronic pump.The delay was fine by me, as I was planning to stay the night and wasn't in a rush. I used the restroom and was thankful to not have to "hover" above a privy for a change. Back in my room, I noticed a scale and by looking at myself in the mirror, I could tell that I was slimming down, but I wanted to know my weight. I stripped down to my shorts and stepped on the scale...206.5 pounds! That means that I've lost about 38.5 pounds in just under 2 months. The beauty part is that I eat pretty much whatever I want without concern about my caloric intake being too high.I went out to the front patio and sat in a rocking chair to journal for a bit, then finished up a book titled 'Einstein's Dreams', which I'd found in the first shelter out of Troutville. It's a work of fiction, is somewhat philosophical, and I highly recommend it. While on the patio, I was treated to the presence of hummingbirds drinking from the hanging feeders. Luckily, I was able to snap some zoomed in pictures of them.While I was still reading, Lois went to her mother's house, next door, to cook lunch on the gas stove, as the power was still out after 2 hours. Shortly after finishing my book, lunch was ready and there was plenty of it. At the table were Lois and Earl, Lois' parents, and one of the contractors currently working on a shower house. Once the shower house is complete, they will have four buildings on site: a 5 month old log cabin, which Lois' parents live in, an overflow bunkhouse, and the main log cabin, which was constructed in 1977. For lunch, I had two huge plates of cordon bleu style penne pasta and a big piece of chocolate cake.The power was restored while we were eating and I was able to check e-mail and update my trailjournal. I received an REI 20% off anniversary coupon and thought about buying a new summer sleeping bag, but decided against it, as I'd rather save the $100+. I'll just keep my winter bag unzipped if it becomes too hot at night.After using the internet, I took a nice, long shower and hung my laundry, which Lois had washed, on the clothesline to dry. Another hiker, Doc, who I'd not previously met, showed up just before I went out to hang my laundry. He's hiking the AT before moving to San Francisco to teach biology at Berkeley. He'd heard of me, however, and told me that Frenchie, Red Rover, El Jefe, Geronimo and others were staying at Seeley-Woodworth Shelter tonight. So, I'll probably (hopefully) see them all tomorrow night and arrive with them in Waynesboro on Thursday evening.I opted to partake in dinner, which was an additional $10 on top of the $25 boarding fee. On the menu was fresh asparagus from the garden, corn on the cob, a salad, and more. I was happy to have the veggies, because I've been missing them greatly while out on the trail. Dessert was coconut cream pie. Yum!After dinner, I called my Mom for a bit and settled in to watch a movie, "John Q." Since there are only 2 guests tonight, we got to choose our breakfast time. So breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. and I'm very happy to be sleeping in a bed tonight, especially since the last couple days have been tough. Bedtime at 11:15 p.m.