Chapter 3: Oh man, did I just pee myself?!

Having spent my first night at Springer Mountain Shelter, I continued on to Hawk Mountain Shelter for my second night. The forecast promised strong winds all night and freezing temperatures, but fortunately the shelter was put in place of the wind. And, perhaps even more important, he was not alone. Until now, Josephine, Unicorn, Lori, Gordon, Dancing Bear and his friend, and Derrick were spending the night at Hawk Mountain. I set up my hammock in a nice spot, checked for widows, and made sure my electronics and water filter were safely stored inside my hammock to keep me warm.

Oh man, did I just pee myself?!

In the middle of the night I wake up to the sound of trees rustling in the wind, leaves hitting the side of my tarp, and a sudden need to relieve myself. Reluctantly but quickly I get out of my hammock and walk away from the camp area to do my nightly task, not thinking that anything is wrong. It’s not until I get back to my hammock that I realize my left buttock feels disturbingly…wet. It actually feels wet. I immediately become disgusted and silently exclaim, «Oh man! Did I just pee myself?!»

Then I quickly get out of my hammock, hoping I haven’t transferred any of the disgust to the fabric of my hammock. I can’t believe it. How the hell did this just happen? At the ripe old age of 34 I have managed to get dirty!

As quickly as I can in the cold, I take off my wet sleeping clothes and put my hiking clothes back on. Then I put all the wet things in a ziplock and threw it at the bottom of my backpack, promising myself to never mention this to anyone. Ever. Then, I return to my hammock.

It doesn’t take more than five minutes before I realize: I’m wet once again! This time I am absolutely sure that I did not cause this myself! Instead, I get out of my hammock and take a more logical approach to the situation. I take off the quilt and, lo and behold, there the culprit is revealed. My water filter, which I just received from a trail angel a few days ago, has come loose slightly from the water bladder. It’s leaking and soaking my hammock.

As I put it in a waterproof bag, I laugh at my own silliness. Walk the AT, they said. It will be fun they said…

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