Day 41 - Saturday, July 23

Linda

The sun didn't wake us up very early this morning since the shelter stayed dark, so we got a late start at 8:00. We hiked through some beautiful rocky fields and over Beacon Hill, then down to Clarendon Lodge - which is not really a lodge, but is a beautiful shelter nonetheless. It was even surrounded with a fence and a gate. the significance of which we couldn't imagine, but was a homey touch. Of course, I spent a good deal of time in the outhouse which was a little log cabin. Sometimes it seems that there is more creativity displayed in the decoration of these outhouses than the shelters. At any rate, at this point they were far more important to me. My intestines are still in revolt, and there appears to be no relief in sight. What a pain in the drain! Literally! I took some of the Lomotil we'd been carrying since Maine for just such an occasion, but it hasn't helped very much.

Later we went on up to Sunnyside Camps for lunch and were just getting ready to leave then we heard a horrible racket just down the trail. We recognized the voice as Mike's, and in a moment he came running up to the shelter, screaming at us at the top of his lungs. He was babbling on about being frightened out of his wits. We figured he'd encountered a bear, or almost fallen off a cliff or had some other life threatening experience. It turned out to be nothing of the sort. He said he'd come up from Clarendon Gorge and passed two homosexuals in the middle of the trail entwined in an amorous posture (my interpretation of his far more graphic description). Apparently he concluded that his interruption would result in their hot pursuit, because he ran the next two miles to get away. We calmed him down and assured him that even though he was unnerved by the experience, they probably had no intention of doing him any bodily harm. Who knows what he really saw. He has a pretty active imagination. Even so, he stuck to us like glue all afternoon, and wouldn't shut up about it. We've got to lose this kid before he drives us crazy.

The afternoon was awful. I had no energy, due to my aforementioned affliction, and began to feel very woozy. I also developed a bad blister on my little toe and every step was agonizing. There was nowhere to camp before Little Rock Pond, though, so we had to go on. Got to one shelter at 6:15, but didn't know where the water was. The guide book was all wrong, so we had no idea where we were. Ronald and Mike walked down the trail to look and I tried to recoup. They came back and said that there was another shelter up a ways by the pond, so we packed up again and limped up there. The pond is beautiful and must be a popular swimming spot. Lula Tye Shelter is away from the pond a bit, but at that point I didn't care, and it looked good to me. We have now walked 503.9 miles, after today's 19 miles. This marks a quarter of the way on the AT. This was our longest mileage day yet, and I don't know how I made it. We celebrated this auspicious occasion by having double cheese on our macaroni. It tasted good going down - just hope I can keep it in me long enough to do any good.

Ron

The long overhanging roof of the shelter prevented the sun from waking us up early. This was coupled with the crisp cool air and our warm down sleeping bags. The delay was not all that great as we still managed to get hiking by 8:00. The cool morning and good trail made the first miles fly. Linda was having stomach and foot problems so we slowed down a bit. We got to Sunnyside camp for lunch and were packing up ready to leave when Mike came running in. He was looking beat to hell. He said he saw a couple of guys making out on the trail and was scared that they would go after him. He said he ran the last two miles.

After lunch our pace picked up. We covered the next 4.5 miles in a little over an hour and a half. The suggested time in the guide books was three hours - not bad. We left at 4:00 hoping to make another 9.5 miles. We were making good time but Linda was feeling bad. Everything she had been eating was going right through her. Her lack of nourishment was making her weak. On top of the ridge she was feeling light headed so we decided to stop around Little Rock Pond. When we arrived there was nowhere to camp. While Linda rested Mike and I found Lula Tye Shelter a little further on.

Linda was beginning to feel a little better. I gave her some Lomotil that should help keep her food in. I can not complain about mileage since this is our longest day yet. We also crossed the quarter of the trail mark today. We celebrated with macaroni and double cheese for dinner. We are going to try for 18 to 20 mile days for a while to catch up.

(19 Miles - 503.9 Total)