Date: 5/6/04
Starting Location: Cove Mt. Shelter
Destination: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles: 17.2
Total Miles: 764.8
Getting warmer, getting sweatier, getting oh so smellier. Well, feet survived yesterday's 20-miler with my new hiking sandals and they felt pretty good today. Shin splint was a bit better behaved too, though much of the day was spent doing long stretches of ascent and that doesn't seem to aggravate it as much. Not much to see all day except for the incredibly beautiful Bryant Ridge Shelter. No view from its little forest glen, but absolutely gorgeous construction—my favorite so far. Too bad I'm not staying there tonight. Instead, I'm in my tent next door to Hippie Long Stockings, this nice girl who's always easy to spot given the seemingly precise regularity with which she can be spotted lighting up a joint.

Great night to be tenting out near the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially after last night's drone of termites eating the shelter at Cove Mt. The growing daylight has really made the hiking much more enjoyable—so much more time to sit by a stream, enjoy the views, and take an afternoon nap during the heat of the day. Mental note: After dying of laughter from Sundance's impersonation of Wallace, from the show Wallace & Grommet ("Cheese, Grommet, Cheeeeeeese!"), I must watch it when I get home.