Start: VA Route 311 (AT mi 710.5). Stop: Niday Shelter (AT mi 687.8). Today’s miles: 22.7 miles. Total AT mileage: 1505.3 miles.
What a difference a huge storm and a cold front make! As I’m typing this, I’m huddled under my quilt, shivering a little, with cold hands. The low is supposed to get to 48 degrees tonight.. I’m sure my body heat will have warmed up this sleeping quilt by then, but man, what a difference!
I got up at 6:15 and got ready. Although I wasn’t thrilled about the 7am departure time, I knew it would pay off in the long run and allow me to make decent mileage today. We got on trail before 7:30.. it was sunny and cool outside, breezy and honestly just perfection. There were no bugs (besides a few bees), all the guys were ahead the majority of the day, so I didn’t have any spider webs either. I was loving it!
There were some pastures first thing this morning, and they were slick with mud and water soaked grass, I did a little sliding around. The scenery was beautiful though. Once back in the woods, the trail started like it has been, calm meandering. At some point during the climb to Dragon’s Tooth, it became rocky and required a little bit of handwork to climb up and over some boulders-but after New Hampshire and Maine, they didn’t even register as difficult. Just a brief slow down.
When I got to the top where a side trail takes you to Dragon’s Tooth, I sat and ate lunch. Half way through, BookWorm appeared and I was so confused because I had been behind him. Apparently he took a bathroom detour. He started making his lunch when Soundscape came over from the side trail. He said the walk was worth it and everyone else (Butterfingers and TwoHats) was down there. I packed my stuff up but left my pack and headed that way. BookWorm left everything but his lunch and came, too.
It was pretty neat seeing the jagged rock stick out of the ground like that, but I had seen better views otherwise back where I ate my lunch. We stood around and talked a bit before all heading back. I let them all get ahead of me, I don’t like feeling rushed. Besides Soundscape (now a good 30 minutes ahead), the rest of the guys were headed to a shelter at 13 miles total for the day, so only like 3-4 miles from where we were. I was planning to go just over 20.
The rocky and sharp rocks continued on the downhill. My feet were aching. I passed the sign to the shelter just before 2pm and was happy I had already decided I was going to push farther than that. I had a climb with switchbacks for a good 4-6 miles. The top of the mountain was gorgeous and grassy and almost like walking through a meadow. There was a memorial for Audie Murphy, a veteran that died in a plane crash somewhere on that mountain.. it was beautiful.
There were also several benches around up there, too. I wasn’t expecting that! Ha. It was near a bench that I caught up with Soundscape. He was planning on going to the next shelter, I was planning on stopping 2 ish miles before that at a creek crossing with flat campsites. We walked and talked, him in the lead. Eventually, I talked myself into going to the shelter with him. The first campsite we passed was already in the dark because of where it was in this valley. The next few were near a road crossing. So, what the hell. Better safe than sorry.. I pushed on and followed him.
We got to the shelter at 6:30pm.. it was a rush to find a tent spot (4 other hikers are here tonight, one might be a thruhiker but the other 3 aren’t), unpack, get water, eat dinner, and hang our food before it got too dark. We ended up putting the food up in the dark anyway though. It was nice that everything else was already done! I quickly got in my tent and started the process of getting warm. I’m actually still shivering now, and it’s been close to 30 minutes.. I’m sure it won’t be much longer before I’m nice and toasty though.
This will be a good test to see if I want my warmer sleeping bag back.. and it’s extra pound of weight, and the extra space it takes up. So many decisions! Speaking of decisions, because of the extra 2 miles today, I can stop 2 miles short tomorrow and still be on time, or push forward and do another 22 mile day and make the following day shorter. Either way, none of this will get me to Pearisburg any earlier, so it’s not like it’s really rewarding to push that hard.
Ok, I’m too cold to keep typing. Goodnight y’all! Sweet dreams! I sure am glad fall is here 🙂 I promise!
