Date: 5/9/04
Starting Location: US 501
Destination: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles: 10.5
Total Miles: 789.9
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! Said goodbye to dad this morning, and mom and I started off on our week-long hike together. The weather was again quite hot for hiking, especially when my mom's first taste of the trail was a 2200-foot climb over the first 5 miles or so. It was tough, but she did great pulling into the shelter after a long bit of uphill on her first day out. Nice to see Burning Boots and J-Bird with their dog Hershey, as well as Tortoise, as we're all camping together for the night. However, this "Punchbowl" in front of the shelter could be more accurately named "Swampbowl," and the clouds of newly-hatched gnats and a piercing chorus of peepers were enough to merit the use of my earplugs. Mom's adventure is officially underway!