Miles: 18.4 to Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Another hot one today! I listened to the entire Tina Fey audiobook, "Bossy Pants," today. Thanks, Cristy Salinas! It helped pass the eight hours of hiking. We stopped by the gas station in Atkins for snacks and I was able to call my mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day. I snacked on a Snickers icecream bar, donuts, and other yummies while we talked. I love being able to eat whatever I want and still be in the best shape of my life!
At some point early in the day I heard what I thought was someone mowing their lawn off in the distance. When I rounded the bend I realized that loud buzzing sound was coming from massive power lines right over the trail! I refused to get any closer until Wing It and Bluebird caught up and we could pow wow about whether or not we were about to die. I knew another hiker had left camp before us this morning, and I didn't see him dead under the lines, so I figured I'd probably be okay. I still hurried to pass those lines as soon as I could. We've passed quite a few powerlines and I've never heard anything like that. Something definitely wasn't right!
We lunched at what appeared to be an old shelter at the Davis Path Campsite that had been smashed by a giant tree. The steps up to the shelter were still there, as were the remants of the tree and the untouched privy. I'd love to know the story behind that!
While we hiked today a deer came crashing through the woods and ran across the path in front of Wing It. I love seeing wildlife! We also passed a poor black cow hiding from the sun under a tree very close to the trail. I talked to it as we passed so it wouldn't trample me. It didn't move a muscle though. It was just as hot and tired as we were.
We had to cross a lot of tall ladder-like stiles to get over barbed wire fences today. I'm not a fan of those. There was also a lot of poison ivy by the stiles complicating things.
The water flow at the shelter tonight was pretty awful so I put a rhododendron leave in the spring to act like a funnel. It worked pretty well and we were able to fill out bottles and water bladders. You learn to be creative out here.
Best Thing: Gas station food!
Looking Forward To: 6 miles of "flat" terrain tomorrow!
My name is Stacey and in 2014 I completed a 2,185.3 mile northbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I made daily updates to this blog for the first 1,000 miles or so. Now my focus has shifted to reflecting on my time in the woods and sharing my knowledge with aspiring hikers. If there is anything in particular you'd like me to write about, please let me know! I'm always happy to share my experiences out on the trail.
No comments:
Post a Comment