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[at-l] Trip report

My second 3-day'er of the year: TN 91 to Elk Garden.

Up at 3:52, off by 3:59, out 66 and down 81, briefly confused in the
last 5 miles on VA 600 in the fog. Got to Elk Garden (NOT a town,
I now know, but a location) parking and met my shuttle at 9:45 (from Mt Rodger's
Outfitters). Through Damascus, through Shady Valley, good conversation,
and finally dropped of at 11 where I stopped last year. I immediately
met 3 thru hikers and Jazz, their dog, who greeted me with "So how's the
yellow blazing?". I answered that I was flattered to be taken for a 
thru-hiker and explained my section hike. 

It started to drizzle. Hiked for a while with a retired 61 year old ecology
community college teacher. The 6 of us (counting Jazz) met with some
trail magic at Low Gap: a cooler of strawberries and brownies left by
Hippie, a hiker who had come off the trail with tendonitis. Got to Abington
Gap shelter, stocked up with 4 liters of water, and went on for another
hour and a half to make a dry camp. Ate a Liptons...and so to bed.
Lights in the valley below were beautiful, also a full moon through the clouds.

Morning: ate my oatmeal, packed up at off by 6:40. It started to rain - and 
would continue all day. Down through Damascus, all closed up for church.
Down the wet Creeper and up the Cookoos Nest. Most of the day was wet and
quiet. I met almost no one. Whitetop Laurel Creek was FULL and loud below.
Got to Saunders Sh (nice switchbacks) at 2:15, and decided to go for it -
ended up at Lost Mountain Sh at 6'ish but satisfied with my 23 mile day.
Sheltered with Further (of was it Farther?) and a couple out for a part of a
week north with a dog. The rain on the tin shelter roof was deafening - I 
actually woke at midnight when it stopped. Up at 5:45, ate, back into soggy 
clothes and boots for the last 8 miles up Whitetop in the fog. Trail was a 
stream. Great fir/spruce/birch, but no views from Buzzards Rock.

Long drive home - scouted out Mt Rodgers HQ for the next section (can't wait!)
in two weeks. I'm now up to 755 miles.

What needs improvement:
. I'm considering a small belly bag for maps, gorp, etc.
. The pen would not write on the plastic map in the rain. The map won't
  change, so I need a pen that will write but not smear in the rain.
. %&^#$*& glasses fog up! Nothing seems to work. Ideas?
. I'm looking at reworking my REI pack cover - adding elastic, etc.
. My Ibuprofren got wet - need a better container.

What worked well:
. My new knee (sort of - fell once - face plant in the mud)
. Things stayed pretty dry.
. New P100 jacket instead of a heavier wool sweater.


Great section - I heartily recommend it. Next: Mt Rodgers and ponies!


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