DAY 5 6/20/18

I'M AWAKE, I GUESS THAT MEANS THE "PROBLEM BEAR" AT THE FINGERBOARD SHELTER DIDN'T EAT ME DURING THE NIGHT. EITHER SHE WASN'T HUNGRY OR SHE FOCUSED ON ANOTHER HIKER DURING THE NIGHT. AN EASY PLAN FOR TODAY. I PLAN TO GO 9 MILES TO THE WEST MOUNTAIN SHELTER. THIS WILL LET ME RECOVER AND GIVE MY FEET A BREAK. NO BLISTERS YET BUT EVERYTHING I READ SAID TO TAKE IT EASY THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO GET YOUR BODY, ESPECIALLY YOUR FEET, IN SHAPE FOR THE TRAIL. MARIPOSA, FLATLANDER AND I PACKED UP AND SAID GOOD BYE AND I HEADED OUT FIRST. TODAY WAS ANOTHER DAY OF PUDS, ROCKS AND FINALLY A FEW PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES. I FOUND SOME BLUE BERRIES TO EAT ALONG THE WAY, ONLY A FEW WERE RIPE BUT THEY WERE EVERYWHERE IN THE OPEN FORESTS ON THE MOUNTAIN TOPS. AS I HIKED I CAME UPON ANOTHER HIKER ABOUT MY AGE WHO WAS RESTING AND AIRING OUT HIS FEET, A COMMON ACTIVITY TO KEEP FROM GETTING BLISTERS. WE TALKED A LITTLE, HE WAS "DETAIL" FROM BOSTON AND THIS WAS HIS SECOND ATTEMPT TO FINISH THE TRAIL HAVING STARTED IN GEORGIA IN MARCH. WE SET OFF TOGETHER AND SOON MET UP WITH "MAVERICK" AND HIS SON "GOOBER". THEY WERE FROM GEORGIA AND HAD BEEN HIKING WITH DETAIL SINCE SHORTLY AFTER THEIR START. I STAYED WITH DETAIL AND WE HAD SOME GOOD CONVERSATION AND HIT IT OFF RIGHT AWAY. THEN I REALIZED I HAD A PROBLEM- THE SHELTER I WAS PLANNING TO STAY AT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND BY NOW. DETAIL CHECKED IS GPS AND ADVISED THAT THE SHELTER WAS 1.7 MILES BEHIND US. HE ASKED WHAT I PLANNED AND I TOLD HIM I WASN'T GOING BACK SO MY ONLY OPTION WAS TO MAKE IT TO THE NEXT CAMP GROUND. HE REMINDED THAT IT WAS 10 MILES TO THE NEXT STOP. I SAID I'D SUCK IT UP AND GO. THIS MEANT GOING UP AND OVER BEAR MOUNTAIN, THE TALLEST PEAK I'D FACED SO FAR THEN DOWN TO THE BEAR MOUNT ZOO, THE LOWEST POINT ON THE AT, CROSSING THE HUDSON THEN UP THE MOUNTAINS ON THE OTHER SIDE TO THE DESIGNATED CAMPING AREA. OFF WE WENT. WE MET OTHERS AT PERKINS TOWER AND STOPPED FOR A COUPLE OF COLD ENERGY DRINKS FROM THE VENDING MACHINES, DOWN TO THE ZOO AND AN ICE CREAM SANDWICH FOR LUNCH. I TOOK PICTURES OF THE FIRST AND ONLY BEARS I'D SEEN SO FAR ON THE TRAIL. THEY WERE IN THE ZOO BUT THEY STILL COUNT AS THEY ARE OFFICIALLY ON THE TRAIL. ONCE IN THE CAMPING AREA I SET UP MY HAMMOCK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE WILD AS I'D BEEN SLEEPING IN THE SHELTERS SO FAR. I MUCH PREFER THE HAMMOCK. RAIN DUING THE NIGHT BUT ALL STAYED DRY. TODAY I CHOSE THE TRAIL NAME "WHISTLER" AFTER THE EMERGENCY WHISTLE THAT DEBBIE GAVE ME AND INSISTED THAT I WEAR. ALL THE GUYS THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD NAME AND DIDN'T KNOW OF ANYONE ELSE USING IT SO HERE AFTER I'M WHISTLER.