Day #32 - Rocky and Strenuous

Miles: 15.4 to Jerry Cabin Shelter

Today was a long day! We hiked 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Most of the hike wasn't too steep. It did rain off and on, but luckily there were no thunderstorms. Woohoo! I'm dreading hiking in a storm. It was hard to decide whether or not to wear a rain jacket because it's hot! It's either get wet from the rain or get wet from your sweat. Tough call sometimes.

I hiked with Blacksmith, Wing It, and Bluebird today. We had some fun conversations that helped the hours passed.We were talked about Jurassic Park, one of my favorite movies, and I found out that Bluebird doesn't think dinosaurs are extinct. She has this irrational fear that they live on an island and will one day take over. Haha! She still likes Jurassic Park though. We talked about 9/11 and all sorts of things. We lunched at Little Laurel Shelter, where I ran out of Aqua Mira. I should have checked it in Hot Springs but forgot to. That's how I treat my water, so now I need to rely on my friends' Sawyer Squeezes until I can get more in a few days.

We passed through a part of the trail that the guidebook described as "rocky and strenuous." It seemed easy at first but then we started walking the ridgeline and had a lot of rock scrambling to do. Blacksmith ended up slipping sideways and bruising his arm. It was tough but we made it through. Unfortunately, we weren't rewarded with any views because the clouds had closed in. After the strenuous section I decided we should take a break and dropped my pack. Just then I noticed a salamander on the tree next to my pack. Woohoo!

We set up our tents at Jerry Cabin. There are lots of people here! Every time we get close to a shelter, I get "Gimme Shelter" by Grand Funk Railroad stuck in my head. I didn't even realize I knew that song, but it gets stuck in my head several times a day. I sat in my tent and cooked in my vestibule so I wouldn't get too wet. My hiker appetite is making a comeback! I am carrying 5 days of food even though there are only about 3 days until our next resupply. Oops! Makes for a very heavy pack.

Best Thing: Knocking out a big day with hiking buddies.
Looking Forward To: Big Butt Mountain!