May 22

The thunder heard last night did not remain distant. Two hours of my night was spent watching flashes, counting seconds, and then discerning nearness. The rain that accompanied was kept mostly from my body by the tent (probably one of the better things I spent money on for the trip). Due to how it's constructed, there is a good chance that splattered rain caused by rain hitting the ground will find its way onto my face. Due to the same design, the tent also breathes very well.

After crawling from my waterproof nest, made some oatmeal and instant breakfast. I love that stuff. It's like a centrum with deliciousness instead of a pill. Also made some cowboy coffee... basically boiled water and coffee grounds. Let then sit for five, sip slowly, and then throw (or eat :D) the spent grounds. You can eat them if you have the mind. They don't taste too bad or good, but the caffeine they give is plenty enough to help the morning seem more pleasant.

I then started walking toward the James river fueled up while listening to npr. For whatever reason, on any given day, one can pick up about four different npr stations talking about different topics. Today I learned about the new terrifs (sorry if spelled incorrectly) on Chinese solar cells. It was more a discussion about why or what could happen as a result. It was interesting. After I lost reception on that station, I switched over to another regarding voter registration and the electoral college. Even the morning caffeine couldn't help me from yawning.

Found the James to be muddy and the depth indeterminable. It was a shame because it's kind of a tradition to jump into it from the bridge. It's only thirty feet, but I'm not muppet enough to do it without knowing the depth.

The climbs leading to the shelter (Punchbowl Shelter 789.8) were more intimidating on paper than in real life. The weather being hot and humid did lead to heavy leaking from the pores. Aren't visuals lovely? Promise that'll be the last one... today. Thunderstorms were all around us as we hiked into the shelter, but we were fortunate to dodge any direct contact.

The shelter is right next to a pond. It's the first time that I've heard frogs and crickets in a long time. I miss that about home. Thunder is again present in the distance.

Resupplying in Buena Vista tomorrow. Keeper lent me some mashed taters since I seem to keep succumbing to my bad habit of eating all the food to early. I hear there is a Chinese buffet in town... they better be cooking now in preparation.