Date: 2007-06-18
From: Wilson Creek Shelter VA

To: .1 mile past Jennings Creek VA
Miles today: 17.0

Wow, so do I have a story about last nite! I was slumbering happily when at about midnight, I hear all this movement in the leaves right around me. It was really loud, and I layed there listening to "it" come within 10 feet of me, and then walk over to the other side where Redwood and Saggy Butt were camped, then it came back my direction. This lasted for 2 freakin hours people! I (with my highly developed rationalization skills) managed to convince myself it was a deer (despite the fact I'm pretty sure deer sleep @ nite).After an hour, I heard what sounded like a hiking pole hitting wood, but I eventually fell back asleep.So, this morning, Redwood tells Saggy Butt and I that he had gotten up when he heard the noise, because he was concerned that his food wasn't bearbagged properly, it was just hanging from a hook on the shelter, about 6 feet off the ground. He said he got up, climbed on top of the picnic table and started throwing rocks at "it". Finally, he saw a pair of eyes staring back at him, and they were about 18" apart and were about 3 feet off the ground. He said it was a freakin bear!! Then he tells Saggy Butt and I, "Man, you guys don't know how close it was to both of you."So he continued throwing rocks at it, and the sound I heard was Redwood striking his hiking pole on the picnic table to try and scare it away. This bear was not taking no for a answer. Seriously, I remember thinking I could shine my headlamp out the head end of my tarp and be able to see whatever it was probably within 5 feet of the tree. Can you believe that? This is why I always bearbag my food. Ceeeraaazy!Last nite was the first time I got hot (I was wearing my normal thermals\knit cap afterall). It was still 71 degrees when I woke up this morning.I was up and hiking by 7:30 a.m. Man was it another scorcher. Hit 95 at least, and it was that still stagnate hot air that is hard to breathe in. No breeze, and several treeless sections, making it very hot.There were a few climbs today and it was the day the AT started paralleling the Blue Ridge Parkway, so it crossed that road on several ocassions, but there was always a nice view @ the road.Water is becoming a bit of a problem in that sources are starting to be 10 miles apart, ad when you get to them, they are these tiny little trickles. Eveeryone is saying there's not been enough rain so far this year. I may have to start carrying an extra liter if it continues like this.I ran into Just Jack, Kyahoga, and 2 others slackpacking today. Kyahoga is a woman whom I've never met, but she said there was 1 day that everyone who passed her kept saying, "Hi Certain." LOL Funny thing is, we look nothing alike!The trail was prettygreat today. Lots of gradual climbs, flat trail, not too awful many rocks, although there were sections.I kept running in to Redwood, who at one point was hanging out @ one of the viewpoints where the trail crossed the BRP, because he was going to ask if any passers-by had water. I offered him some of mine, but he wouldn't take it. It was just so hot today, and he underestimated how much he'd need.As usual, I was starving all day long. I may need to start carrying a bit more food. It just weighs so much, so then the gamble is are you burning more calories by carrying more food than you can replace with the additional food? So today I took a break and decided to eat my sickers, I take my pack off and SOMEHOW my right croc was missing! NOOOOOOOOO!! Not my camp shoe!! I can't figure out how it just "fell" off, because a carabiner would had to of opened, then my crock would had to of somehow slipped around and off it, as well as come out of the shock cord I pull over them. I suppose there's a remote chance I sleepwalked in the middle of the nite and ate it due to my appetite. LOLReally ticks me off, but what are ya gonna do? I'll have to get more in Charlottesville. The positive side is that the shoe I still have is my left one, so my gimpy foot can still enjoy a change of pace @ the end of the day.Another gear issue is that one of my canteens is leaking at the seam near the top. It's stil usable, but is difficult to get the suction needed to pull water out of it. Luckily, I had the foresight to order 2 more back in Pearisburg, because I was noticing that they were getting pretty flimsy, so I'll have those waiting for me @ Cindy's house.This afternoon, I had about 3 miles still left to go, and was up on a ridge, when I started hearing thunder. Man did that send a jolt of something through me. I knew all 3 miles was taking me all the way down to 1,000 feet, so with each step, I was going lower in elevation, however, I was still a bit uncomfortable with even hearing it. I really picked up the pace.Then I hear a familiar sound of something moving around in the leaves below me, and it's a black bear! I got the best look at it of any I've seen, because it was walking slowly across the mountain. As usual, I never have time to get a pic though, before it disappeared.About 5:45 p.m., I arrived @ Jennings Creek, which is more like a river and is popular for locals and hikers for swimming. I had every intention of swimming, but the thunder was still rumbling and it was starting to rain. Redwood was @ the river getting water and I asked where he was staying. He found some campsites down a side trail, so I decided to go there as well. What I don't like is that it's right off a road, but it's either that or start clmbing up the next mountain with a storm coming. NOPE!!I got camp set up just seconds before the rain came down a bit harder. Tonight was the first time I sat under my tarp while cooking my dinner just outside it. Pretty nice to be able to do that.I can hear the river, which is really nice. Redwood and I decided to hang our food from the same line, but seriously his food bag weighs about 20 lbs! He has 6 days of food, and carries enough to have 5200 calories a day. Needless to say, we couldn't hoist both bags up because they weighed so much together, so I hung mine separately. Pretty hilarious.Well, I hope it's a bit cooler tomorrow. Tonight is the first nite I'm sleeping in my other pair of camp shorts and my camisole. I've got my tarp staked out pretty wide to get some air movement. I didn't get to swim, but I did take a bandana bath @ the river which felt great.It's currently 79 degrees in my hammock @ 8:00 p.m., and I've got my sleeping bag wrapped around my ridgeline. I'm sure I'll cool off at some point, but for now, it's too hot to use a quilt.~Certain