6/04/01
After staying up last night until 10:30 to catch up on the journal I was tired this morning when I got up. The trail was beautiful as all of the SNP section has been and the bright sunshine made it even more enjoyable. Deer were plentiful along the trail as I worked my way to the Elkwallow Wayside for an early lunch and, of course, a milkshake. Priceless was with me when we arrived at Elkwallow at 10:45 a.m. I started with two grilled cheese sandwiches and a soda, then ate my trail lunch including two peanut butter tortillas and three candy bars, then went back inside the wayside for a chocolate shake. Since it was another cool morning and we weren't in a hurry, all of "the gang" relaxed at the wayside for a couple of hours. We sat or lay on the asphalt sidewalk to enjoy the warmth and lazily ate our lunches. Finally at 1:00 p.m. I got up to hike the next six miles to the Gravel Springs hut.
Barely a mile from the wayside I saw my first bobcat! This rare animal is almost never seen by humans and rarely during the day, but I got a glimpse of him stealthily moving up the trail in front of me. Upon arriving at the Gravel Springs hut I was greeted by a Boy Scout troop from Missouri who were occupying the entire shelter. Knowing that 15 thru-hikers were behind me, I attempted to subtly convince the leaders to have their boy scouts set up their tents which they were carrying but I was unsuccessful. Exasperated, I quickly signed the shelter register along with some choice editorial comments about why boy scouts didn't need to be in the shelters, then put on my backpack to hike 10 more miles to the next shelter. I managed to do the miles in three hours, arriving at the Tom Floyd shelter just after 7 p.m. During the last 10 miles of hiking, wildlife was abundant, including more deer, a wild turkey, and a mother grouse who feigned the broken wing routine to draw me away from her nest as her little ones flew in every direction away from the nest. Priceless, Gypsy, Little Thunderhawk, Colonel (formerly Buck), and Ed all made it to the shelter. The Shinny's are over! (SNP) I really believe I enjoyed this segment of the AT more than any other section thus far. It's now 11 p.m. and raining very hard as I complete this entry for mailing back home to Mom Rabbit for typing. Once again I have beaten the rain by getting to a dry shelter. Tomorrow is a town stop in Front Royal for food pickup, mail, and possibly laundry. Here are today's stats; low 48 degrees, high 70. Clear to cloudy, rain tonight. Today's mileage: 23.6, cumulative 946.8.
