Rocky with a side of roots

I awoke at 2:30AM awefully cold. It seems a fellow hiker had opened a window in the hostel bunkroom, and I was quite cold because of it.

I then re-awoke at around 7:20AM to prepare for the day ahead. I enjoyed my stay at Kincora's Hostel, Bob and Pat Peoples are wonderful hosts.

I was on trail at 8:25AM. When the day startes, I was not sure if I was going to hike 17.5, or roughly 26 miles, This terrain is supposed to be favorable for larger mile days. Who ever came up with that idea must have been loosing their mind at the time, today was hard.

After Watauga Dam, there was a lot of up-hill. The trail had little to no switchbacks, and it was rocky with a side of roots.

However, once I was on the ridge, there were delightful views. I could see mountains of Appalachia off in the distance, and Watauga Lake below. It was absolutely wonderful.

Today also represents my first day without rain since I left Hot Spring, NC. It's nice to not arrive into camp soaking wet. It's nice to be able to look straight up and see a blue sky.

The water source for this shelter is .3 mil down a steep blue blaze trail. The water source is a good one, it's just a terribly long walk both ways at the end of a 17.5 mile day.

Tomorrow I will try to push 23 miles to Abington Gap Shelter, putting me ten miles out of Damascus, Virginia.

It is currently 5:58PM, and the mice are already preparing to wage war against us humans. It's going to be a long and hard struggle, but I think I can overcome their power and might and live to see another day with my food bag in tact.

I also found a disposable camera sitting in the shelter that still had 21 photos on it. I will be sure to tell my dad that I take no responsibility for the first six photos on that particular camera.

It is time to read "Epic" by John Eldridge.

And that's the way it was.

Kirby

Ga>ME 2008.