Date: 2004-05-26
From: Damascus, VA

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up at about 10 in the morning and then there is another day filled with cloudy. I knew I have no choice, but instead, went out and hike in ugly weather condition. That time, Mother Nature decided to play game with me. It wasn't raining when I looked out of window and 200 yard walk to convenience store to buy soda and danish twists. It wasn't raining when I walked back to The Place. So, I packed my gear, then put my backpack on and then saw outside the window, and what I saw, is group of Wilderness School students scrambling to get their backpack covered. Which it turned out to be raining. I was like, why rain when I put my pack on, but I moved on, and went to the library to do some emails, then to outfitter to check the weight on my pack. It was 54 pounds, with 100 ounces of water. Then I went outside. It wasn't rainning but a drizzle. So, when walking up north but not pass the 1st Baptist church, (after United Methodist Church), it started to rain little harder. I ran and get under the roof of the First Baptist Church. I started to get pissed off, and waited for aobut 15 to 30 minutes, then it stopped rainning. so then I walked to and was about to hike up north past the Sundog Outfitter, but was curious about this outfitter, so I decided to check what's inside the Sundog Outfitter and see or find nothing. So, was going to exit the store, but there was a downpour, DAMN, it was rainning AGAIN! I started to get really pissed off, "make up your mind, mother nature" I turned my head back and saw the manager of the store, who allowed me to wait inside the store until the rain stopped.   So, I don't trust that rain would stop permamently, so I rather to wait for 5 to 10 minutes, and I was right. It started to rain again but extreme hard. So, I give up with waiting for mother nature, who was toying with me, so, I went to the Subway store, which is right next to the Sundog Outfitter store. Guess what? Rain stopped, but I went inside the subway, ordered a sub, and consume it. While inside the subway, for one hour, the rain came and stop throughout the hour. I wasn't happy about that, and decided to take raincoat out of my pack and put it on before going out the store. When I landed my first step outside the door, and it was hot, humidity and blue sky. the clouds was clearing up. I was so pissed because I already have raincoat on with my backpack on. I hiked up north for a few yards, and I started to feel humdity and sweats inside the raincoat. I started to be really pissed, why sunny when I put on a raincoat?? I told to myself, that I am not going to take my raincoat off because I am not letting mother nature to get me wet by surprise attack. Several yards more, I gave up, its so hot and really humidity as the water on the road is starting to vaporize. I started to get really pissed off and cursed at mother nature, then took my pack off and then my raincoat, even my tshirt off, because it was so hot. It seemed that cursing does work because it wasn't rainning until about .01 miles before Saunders Shelter. It started to rain but luckily, I got in the shelter before downpour. Maybe this time, mother nature got scared enough not to toyin with me. =)