Date: 2011-05-10
From: Day 61 Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Day 62 Wapiti Sheltet
Miles today: 13.2

Well I did get a good nights sleep almost, sometime during the night I was awaken by animal noises right outside my tent. Then I heard sniffing right up against my tent, well I didn't know what to do. I had hung my food bag high and far enough away, but did I mistakenly leave any snack wrappers in my pockets. Then the moon came out from behind a cloud and I could see it's shadow on my tent, it was only a deer. What a relief. I unzipped the door and peered out to see several deer just nosing around, then they just moved on. I quickly fell back to sleep but I think I still kept 1 eye open. Up at 7:00 back on the trail by 9:00. After yesterday's big push we decided to take it easy today but still, it was uphill 900' in the first 2 miles, then mostly downhill 1100' over the next 3 miles. Next was a highlight, a wooden suspension bridge over Kimberling Creek. I took a lot of pictures and will post them when I can. The next highlight came at Dismal Falls. Even though it was .3 mile off the trail, we were in no hurry so in we went  Contrary to it's name, the falls were fabulous, with a wide flat rock field just before the falls.  Again with all the rain recently the falls were roaring but I found a perfect spot on the rock field to sit, have lunch and soak my feet. They weren't hurting or anything like that it just looked too inviting not to take my boots and socks off and rest awhile. I rinsed out my shirt, socks and bandanas and laid them on the rocks to dry then took a nap. Yes a nap. When I awoke everything was dry. We collected water and headed back to the trail. It had been 2 hours. Most of the trail today was difficult and rocky, really hard on your feet, ankles and knees. Near the end of the day we were crossing stream after stream after stream many with foot bridges but just as many without. Again with the recent rain these little streams had turned into big streams and were a challenge. I wasn't worried about getting my feet wet because my boots are waterproof, but I was worried about slipping on the wet rocks and falling into the mud. We finally arrived at Wapiti shelter at 4:45. Turnpike was already there but nobody else. The sun had been out most of the day but an hour before we got to the shelter the sky darkened and we could hear thunder off in the distance so we decided not to pitch our tents but sleep in the shelter. We collected water, ate dinner then the rain started. It was a light rain, but loud thunder. It looked like it would be just the three of us tonight until 8:15 when 2 wet hikers with their 2 wet dogs arrived. Of course the first thing the dogs did was shake, all over Turnpike's sleeping bag. We rearranged sleeping positions so the 2 hikers and their dogs could be on one side of the shelter and the 3 of us on the other.  After they settled in and while the rain intensified, we all had a great time telling jokes and swapping stories. Everyone finally fell to sleep around 11:00 or at least I did. Temps, it's 67* in the shelter, it is raining pretty hard but there's no wind no song birds no night owls.  Total AT miles hiked today 13.2  Nite all