Date: 2006-08-09
From: The Barn, Gorham

To: Imp Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

Up super early, finish packing, bring everything downstairs to be loaded into Waldo's van, go across the street for breakfast (yogurt and Jimmy Dean's sausage and egg between two pancakes with hot chocolate to keep me warm. Delish!) I call the hospital to talk to Steech. Hooray, he's awake. He sounds good for a guy who just had emergency surgery. Then I call home one last time. Don't talk too long as it's freezing out here at 7:45 in the morning. Yeah, I know y'all back home in ATL and those reading these journals in other parts of the country are frying to death in a heat wave, but up here in the mountains, it gets chilly!Golden Waldo arrives and we head to the hospital to take Steech's belongings to him and bid him farewell. I hope he has a speedy recovery and gets to finish his hike.Then its off to Walmart to buy a warm jacket. I sent my fleece home on the advice of those in the know about the Whites and now I am having second thoughts. Better to be safe than freezing! I pick up a Danskin zip up jacket, a pair of tights (in case my legs get cold under my skirt), and I splurge and buy a Tinkerbell t-shirt with the word Celebrity on it. It weighs next to nothing and will be nice to change in to once I get to camp. But mostly, I think its funny because I keep finding myself in these situations of celebritydom.Next stop, the post office. I have three boxes to bounce to Hanover and Glencliff. While there, I meet Dub, a nobo who Scoot was waiting on. I know that he is planning to catch up with Scoot and Misfortune and the rest of Steech's gang, so I ask him to pass on the word to them about his recovery. He is a tall and pleasant athletic dude with a friendly personality and a deep southern accent. I love listening to him talk because it reminds me of home. Then its off to the outfitters to return the pack cover I bought. It was too small for my pack. Good thing I went back, because it turns out that the day the phones were out, the day I bought this stuff, I couldn't use my credit card, so I used traveler's checks. Silly me, signed them in the wrong place. So the salesman gives them back to me and we work out the transaction correctly. He doesn't have a pack cover that will fit, so its off across the street I go to the other store. Success is found.Lastly, I go to the bank to cash in those travelers checks I signed on the wrong line. The cashier's name is Allison and she is very friendly and helps me remedy my mistake. Cash in hand, its finally time for Golden Waldo to drive me to the trail head. Hooray!Alright, enough town talk. The first 1.6 miles is cake. Its a level graded wide path and before I know it I walk right up on the Rattle River shelter and campsite. Its right on the river. I stop for lunch and to check out the swimming holes I've heard so much about. I wish that it was warmer and that I had more time as I would love to check out the whirlpool swimming holes. This shelter spot is one I would definitely revisit. It looks so relaxing. I can invision families camping here, going fishing, swimming, grilling out on the campfire. Its really nice. The next few miles are going straight up the mountain via rock steps. I feel like my fitness and sports trainer, Eric Alexander of Pinnacle Athletics in Roswell, has put me on the stairmaster machine on the highest resistance level and won't let me off for atleast 3 hours. My butt muscles are on fire. For all my LA Fitness buddies who want to get hikerlicious legs like mine, before you try this wonderful workout, be sure to camel up (drink a liter of water) and don't forget to strap on your 30 pound backpack!Coming down Mt. Moriah is harder on my knees as it is pretty ledgey. The trail seems to have me going up and over all sorts of mountians and right on the edge of them too. On the way up one climb, I see a snake. Now, I have seen lots of snakes and they always sliver away from me, more scared of me than I am of them. This time the snakes evacuation route has him coming straight at me! I'm more scared of falling as I back up to get out of his way than I am of him, but I am so happy when he turns and slithers into the brush.I can't wait to get to the shelter. I'm pooped. Chill had warned me that I would lose my hiking legs if I didn't get back to hiking and I am wondering if there is some truth to that. Finally, I get to the sign that points to the shelter. It seems like I have to walk a mile off trail to get to it. There is room in the shelter and Casey aka Dingle, the caretaker is very pleasant and friendly and again reassuring to me as I quiz him about the Whites. There are some other hikers staying in the shelter, a mom with her daughter and son from NY here to spend summer vacation hiking the Whites and an older man and his grown son and their golden lab puppy, Green, out hiking for a few days. I cook up some dinner and then we all head down to the overlook to watch a beautiful sunset. Glad that I bought some warmer clothes because it gets very chilly tonight. Hope I sleep well; the older gentleman has admitted that he snores.