Dick's Dome Shelter
Today started badly, got worse, and then better. I woke to Snackbreak saying that she and our ride to the trailhead were leaving in 25 minutes. That gave not enough time to get ready and pack sesenably. I ate so fast I was nauseus for 2 hours and my bag was completely disorganized. I did manage to get ready in about 30 minutes but barely.
When I woke I was itching like crazy and I noticed that the welts I have dealing with for the last 3 weeks on my legs were getting worse with groupings of large welts up to the size of silver dollars starting to appear lower and lower on my leg. 
This had me worried because previously I thought I had posion ivy but I was getting reactions below the sock line, a place the ivy had never touched. I decided it wasn't an immedate problem but I needed a doctor to look at it. I asked Queen Diva if she knew what medical clinics were coming up. She asked why and I showed her my leg at which point she said something like "Well honey, you have chiggers". Hopeful added that clear nail polish usally cleared up the spots and so we added a drug stop the the list of morning stops.
We; Hopeful, Snackbreak, Tank, and I; piled into cars for the shuttle back to Front Royal. Along the way we passed Mount Weather. Mout Wheather is interesting in that from what I have heard is the backup of the federal government. It was built to withstand a nuke and as we passed there was long barbed wire fences surrounding it with a truck size scanner in the one entrance I saw. I think its sign read "Emergancy Operations Center" or something like that. Since Tank and Snackbreak slackpacked they left Tank's car at Ashby Gap, about 20 miles from Front Royal, for their ride back to Bear's Den. We all got into Hopeful's truck and headed to the Front Royal post office. There I retrieved a box from my grandma that was packed to the gills with cookies. Unfortunately there were far too many to carry but the others were pushing me hard to get moving so I didn't have time to do anything but grab them. If I had had time I would have spent some time eating a pound of one of the ziploc!
baggies and I would forwrded the other bag of the cookies to Harpers Ferry where I will have eaten two days of food and made space for more cookies. As it were I was stuck trying to figure out what to do with them on the trail. I asked Snackbreak to bring them back to hostel so I could pick them up tomrrow but she didn't think other hikers would let them be. Next we went to CVS and I got the nail polish for my chiggers and DEET spray to prevent them. I also needed to transfere my pictures from my memory card to a CD but they were in such a rush I again didn't have time. I kept asking them to go on ahead both at the P.O. and at the CVS and I would hitch my ride tot he trail but they waited for me keeping the pressure on to move faster. At last we got back to the trail which was a great relief but the pace kept up with quick hiking a short lunch break as they wanted to be back to Bear's Den in time for dinner. Finally I had enough and snapped. It wasn't that they were being !
mean and certainly my reaction was rude but essitally I told to go awa
y and leave my alone. Adhering to a slackpackers schedual was driving me batty and needed to get free.
After that I took a hour long break reading a book and unwound a bit. I took the rest of today much slower in part to force myself to relax and in part to avoid the posion ivy with lined the trail for many of the miles today. I look forward to getting back up on high ridges where ivy doesn't seem to thrive so much but for now I fear I am going to be facing a lot of it. At a road crossing there was some trail magic with bottled water, snacks, and Propel drink mix left by unnamed trail angels. I took a leasurly break there, drank a bottle, and ate some snacks. The hike overall today was very easy, a lot of up and down true, but none over 400' or so so I never wore down.
I orginally had planned to the hike with Tank ad Snackbreak to their car and then the next shelter, about 23 miles, but when I got here at 5:30 here I decided that I had two options, stay and have a long relaxed evening or go and have a late day to gain some milage. After my morning and since my daily average milage only needs to be 15 miles to finish on time I took the first route.
The shelters today have all be wonderful and it was tough leave each. One even had a shower though someone had broken one of the pipes. This one was simpiler but I found attractive as it was a bucky ball. Out front is a large creek that I can draw water from. I think since I am next to a large creek the birds are attracted as the air filled with their calls. It really is a great spot and I have been enjoying reading and generally relaxing after this mornig's ordeal. I have learned lessons the hard way and I hope I get a chance to appologze to the others for my fit.
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