5/31/06 Wednesday: Pass Mtn Hut to Front Royal,VA (26.5mi)

PICTURES:
1. Just a pic of one of the fine dining/souvenier establishments found along the road/AT in SNP
2. That Greg from Hawaii strolling along...been strolling since February 06...
3. You dont have to look too far for wildlife...they all seem to like the AT just fine... This turtle was right in the middle of the trail as I approached a swampy area near Front Royal, VA.
It was kinda warm and muggy all night and none of my clothes dried...:O... I never like putting on sweaty/smelly clothes... Thats the big problem with putting in a long day, you cant put your clothes out in the sun to dry for the next day... Well, it really doesn't matter much anyway, about 15min into the day and your all sweaty again...;)... LOL... Another long day but with a hotel bed and climate control waiting :) Im out at 0615 this time, wanting to get into town as early as possible to start these blog entries...and also get out of these sweaty clothes...:0... Lousy day for taking pics with the haze even thicker than yesterday. My first order of business was breakfast at the Elkwallow wayside. Its 7mi away and opens at 0900. With not many reasons to stop, I'm in at 0845 and get my 2 egg, sausage, and cheese sandwitches. A great way to start the day...:)... After a nice break and using the flushing style of commode, its time to move on... another 6 miles and a couple of 500" climbs later, I arrive at the next water site/shelter... I get the water, but when I go to get my water treatment device, I find the pocket completely unzipped and the device missing... I have this sinking feeling inside... And I'm really thirsty... I make a journal entry with my cell phone# pleading for anyone who might find the device to call and I would arrange to pick it up... I decide since the water at this shelter, the Gravel Springs Hut, was very cold, it must have come from a spring and is most likely not contaminated...LOL... Maybe not the best logic, hey, when your thirsty with no other options you wing it... Well, I didnt come across any other hikers the rest of the day, I'm glad I didnt wait to ask one to use his water purification device... Just before I left the park a came across a couple of Park Rangers patrolling. There was some clothing, pants, shirt, and sweatshirl left on the side of the trail a few days before, about 2 miles from the closest road and they were trying to figure out who it belonged to... I remembered seeing the clothing earlier today and taking a few minutes to yell out and see if anyone would respond...no one did... Anyway, I reported my missing device to the Ranger and he gave me a bottle of water treatment tablets as an option till I get back to town... They were really helpfull, I had a fantastic time in Shenandoah and will not let loosing something get me down... I stopped at the last hut to make one final entry about the device before finally arriving into Front Royal. I made it to the main hwy leading into town and stuck my thumb out. I must off looked pretty bad, I was all wet, and it had not been raining...:0... The fifth vehicle stopped and drove me right to the Super 8. I was all smiles and we had a nice chat the 4 miles into town... I didnt have time to take his pic, he drove off a Trail Angel all the same....:)...