3/21 Campsite N of Franklin.

Last night I wrote “PLEASE NO RAIN” in my journal.   It started to rain as soon as I closed my eyes.  Happy Spring.  Had I gone to the next shelter, I could have beaten the rain.  But, better for my knee.  5:30 am.  Dark.   No food.  Wet tent.

Siler Bald Shelter – 110.5 miles/12 days

Counting a walk/hitch to resupply, and a .5 trail to the shelter, 17.4 today!   My feet feel it though. Also, took an Alleve at 2, not sure if it or my 15 minute sit in the sun helped, but knee was good from Winding Stair Gap to here.

Rained until noon.  I did the first 3 miles up and over Albert (steep!) in 1.5 hours, rolled into the shelter at 8am just to find Sunshine, Living Water, Patch & Tree leaving.  Sunshine was all paranoid about me being wet and hypothermic.   She was swathed in nylon.  I guess a SoCal girl doesn’t know about hiking in the rain.  I steamed down the trail and caught up to Iceman at Rock Gap, and made it to the campground at 11am.   Ate chili and ice cream, and resupplied.  $15 total.

Knee got real stiff, took 2 hours to Rt 64, limping.  Then, sun came out, I sat, drank, re-bandaided, and took off at 2:15.   Long haul here, but the rest, Alleve & the Reeses helped.  Many hikers here, I’m tenting, mostly for warmth.  Sausage and Allyson are here.  Speedy & Kamikazi are at Rufus Morgan tonight (+23 mi).   They’re fast.

Oh, 2 bitchy ’98 thruhikers were here, 1 was from NYC and talked and acted like it.  Argh.   They left, thankfully, to go camp on the bald since its clear.   Leave No Trace, right?  Jerks.  Good.

Bleh, the batteries in the Petzl are dying.  I should pick up one of those LED headlamps that Fenrir has.   Cold Spring (12.1) tomorrow, over a couple balds.

Nice weather until Thursday.   But this cold front has brought wind which kind of sucks.  Reading, then bed.