Tuesday, June 2, 2015
I didn't want to mess with the crowd for breakfast, so I got out early. The morning looked promising. But the showers came in the afternoon. I got some good shots of fog in the distant mountains.
The terrain stayed rocky and challenging. But surprisingly the ups were milder than those south of the park.
Not a lot to say about today. The continued rain made for miserable travel. I was having minor problems with my ankle, enough that I had to be careful with each step. I was also missing my wife and concerned that I wasn't there while she was about to have some minor surgery. Our Border Collie, Buck, was also about to lose an eye from glaucoma. It didn't seem fair to let my wife be alone while I hiked. To be fair though, the problems came up after I started the AT.
Anyway, I knew the Math Teachers were hiking my pace (actually faster but ending in the same places) and getting off at the north end of the Smokies. So I asked about a ride to the nearest town. They offered the ride if I hiked the 15 miles the next day.
The shelter was again full or nearly so with thunder booming. To avoid having to set up my tarp in the rain I went ahead and set it up quickly. Not as much slope today. Buy near the bear lines, privy and two big metal boxes the park service use.
The rain came immediately with really impressive thunder. It rolls around the mountains and sounds like its right next to you.
This time I cooked under the tarp. I was also able to keep the bivy and bag dry. The bag anyway. I was also able to dream for the first time on the trail.
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