Friday, 6/12

AT Miles = 11.1 /1004.2
Other Miles = 0.7 / 37.5
Total Miles = 11.8 / 1040.7

When I am dead, do you think someone will build a trail shelter in my memory? No? A privy maybe?

Bears Den was such a great place. I really enjoyed staying there last night. I even stayed awake until 11:30 watching a movie on DVD. Have you seen "13 Days?" It was quite good.

I wasn't planning a very big day today, and as it turns out that was a good thing. I am not feeling my best today. I felt weak and shaky while hiking, and I started the day with the last 4 1/2 miles of the Rollercoaster.

It took me 3 1/2 hours to hike the first 8 miles to the Blackburn AT Center. Normally that distance would take me well under 3 hours. And the last 3 miles from Blackburn to the shelter took me just shy of an hour and a half. Like I said, I just wasn't feeling it today.

Hopefully I will be back to my usual self tomorrow. I hope to get in nearly 20 miles tomorrow, including stopping in Harpers Ferry for a couple of hours. Jodi mailed my food drop to the AT HQ there, so I need to stop and pick that up, and repack it into my backpack. I have been to Harpers Ferry before and it is a really cool place, so I hope to spend a little bit of time there, and hopefully get a bite to eat before heading back out.

The weather today is much better than I expected from the forecast, but the bugs are out in force and it feels like there is a good possibility of thunder storms tonight. I am hoping for dry weather while I am in town tomorrow.

There is a young hiker here tonight who has been out for a week, and obviously hasn't washed at all during that week. Oh my! The stink darn near makes my eyes water. As long as the weather is reasonably cooperative, I wash every night and rinse out my hiking clothes. I sleep much better when I am reasonably clean and not so sticky.

Monkeywrench
Allen Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com
allenf.blogspot.com