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June 1, Wednesday
From
Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal
Up
at 6:01 and headed straight for the bathroom. Too much to eat the
night before…Then it was half a box of Fruit Loops cereal with
milk, and four raspberry rolls we picked up at the store yesterday.
The beds provided a restful nights sleep - a change from the early
morning pain of sleeping too long on one part of your back and shifting
to another every now and then. Bought two canned sodas before leaving
Hot Springs and packed them for the rest of the day instead of water
in my water bottle.
In Hurricane Gap, a short distance out of Hot Springs, we came across
a white cross on the side of the trail with an inscription stating
" Rex Pulford, April 12, 1983" on it. Apparently Rex had
died here. Later on at Little Laurel Shelter we found out that he
was a 72 year old thru-hiker who had died of a cerebral hemorage
while attempting to hike the Appalachian Trail. He was known as
"the Tortoise" while on the trail.
We stopped for lunch at Spring Mountain Shelter, and later for ice
cream at Allen's Gap, where a small gas station with minimal supplies
could be found next to the trail. Jim and I each had a pint of ice
cream and then bought a can of beef stew for tonight's meal. Along
with the soda carried out of Hot Springs, the stew would provided
another enjoyable meal. We reached Little Laurel Shelter before
4 pm, and discovered that this shelter came with an old used mattress.
Even if the shelter roof did not leak, the mattress seemed to have
taken on a musty, grungy odor and appearance that did not deter
Jim from wanting to use it's added padding to comfort his body for
the night.
It rained on and off this morning, but was sunny after lunch. This
happens quite often. Cool and breezy this evening.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
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