Miles Today - 18.6
Location - Thomas Knob Shelter
Date - May 15
I woke to a damp, drizzling, cold morning. 7:00 came and went, and I made the strategic decision to stay asleep. At 7:30 the rain had gone from drizzle to trickle, and I was out if excuses. Up and at 'em, kid.
The weather worsened until everything I owned was damp to its core as I trudged along. The AT briefly followed the Virginia Creeper Trail, a bike path, which would have provided nice views of the river and a wide, even path on a good day. Today it just meant I had less tree cover.
I did the first 6.4 miles to the next shelter and stopped for brunch and drying. The shelter was full of people still in their bags, hiding from the rain. I ate quickly and moved on, the weather having cleared some.
Through the early afternoon I hiked up towards Whitetop Mountain, going over fences and through pastures where cows grazed right on the trail. Ugh. Cows. They are very big, and very interested in you up close. It was a nerve wracking experience at times.
I quickly pushed over the peak, wreathed in clouds, and headed on to Mount Rogers. The trees were laden with water, and every gust of wind brought it splattering down. With only 1 mile to go the storm began anew, and I went from damp to soaked within minutes.
Water logged and shivering at 5400 elevation I stumbled into the shelter to find dry people in sleeping bags. Is there any way to make room for one more? Silence and awkward looks. Where'd you start from? Someone asked. 19 miles back, I said, stressing the distance. You? I swept the room. They had clearly zeroed.
I meant in general, where did you start? The person corrected. Oh, Amicalola. Silence. Springer? Silence. 500 miles ago? Awkward silence. It's times like this where I feel a little bad, but as a sopping wet thru-hiker who just did 19 miles uphill in the rain, I feel entitled to a shelter spot over some overnighter who took a zero. Yes, it's probably wrong, but at that moment I was not above guilt tripping them into making the room.
Luckily it was about then I spied the ladder. Yes! Rafters! I bounded up and found the rafters filled with section and thru hikers. My people! Seeing my state, they immediately made room. Rose joined us a bit later, and being decent, rafter dwelling folk, we made room as well. Downstairs people, *spits over shoulder*.
No comments:
Post a Comment