Miles Today - 15.2
At 2 in the morning the dog at the shelter, Shady Security, began to growl. As he let loose a few low, rumbling barks, the shelter stirred to life and headlamps clicked on. I was peeved, and had to pee. And apparently someone had seen some eyes outside. Undeterred, and a little grumpy with all the commotion, I swung down and went a few feet into the woods, scanning for any predators. Whatever it was had long gone.
Today was the first day that was beautiful from sunrise to sunset. I bolted from the shelter in the early morning, first out as always. As I crested the bald I munched on my last honey buns, noting that I would need to buy some pop tarts at the Fontana Visitor Center, if possible.
The first few hours were a little treacherous, as the ground was still wet. My poles sunk dangerously low into the mud and keeping my footing was sometimes an issue. Just before noon I crested Jacob's Ladder, but failed to find any views. Figures that on the clearest day I felt most oppressed by the dead trees that ring the trail.
I stopped for lunch, snacking and reading, and pushed on downhill. On a particularly rocky section I placed my pole on what turned out to be several feet of leaves, not ground, lost balance, and tumbled. I ended up alright, but developed a twinge in my left knee. I took it slow for the rest of the afternoon, stopping frequently on the downhills to not over stress my knee.
Cable Gap shelter is small, in a quaint way, and has a stream right out front. I picked a corner spot and settled in. I snacked, read, ate some Pad Thai noodles for dinner, and then passed the time around a fire.
Tomorrow I enter the Smokies. I need to stop at the Visitor Center to pick up a permit (and hopefully some snacks), and I'm hoping that after a good night's sleep my knee will have recovered.
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