13 April 2001 ~ Punchbowl Shelter ~ 10.7 miles hiked

The 2000 data book says I did 10.7, but there's a new relocation here (this spring) which could have changed that a bit.  It doesn't look like much of a difference, in any case.  The data book also says there is water at Salt Log Gap, and they were wrong about that.  The trail that supposedly leads to a spring (Belle Cove) was closed (and now unblazed and invisible) for a flood in 1995, yet it's in the data book in 2000 as a water source.  And I was really counting on that water source, so I had to do the last 4ish miles with no water.  This is a bad thing, but I survived.  The water source here is shallow and full of...stuff.  It leaves something to be desired, but I'm seriously dehydrated, so I have to deal.

The first half of the hike was a 2100' ascent to Fuller's Rocks, then to Big Rocky Row, then over Bluff Mountain and finally over the little bump that is Punchbowl Mountain (when taken from this direction and angle) for a total vertical rise of 4080'.  The long ascents are really exhausting.  It just went ON!  The guide book described one of the climbs thusly:  begin 1630 foot climb to Fuller's Rocks...begin final 1000 feet to Fuller's Rocks on 21 switch backs.

It's incredibly loud here.  I appear to be alone for the night, but the pond that feeds the spring (or vice versa) is full of singing amphibians who seem jubilant over the warm temperatures.