Day 51

Erwin to Curley Maple Shelter 4.2 miles – AT mile 348.8

Card of the day – XXI The World

So I was up and full of the joys of spring after last nights birthday dinner.  It was nice to let off a bit of steam.  I went back to Maccies for breakfast, there are not that many options in Erwin.

I was able to get a lift back onto the trail at 9 with GiGi and Side Track, and hiked with them a while.  The idea being I would wait for the guys at the first shelter.

Hiking up with the river up from Erwin I was surrounded by butterflies.  The smell of the forest seems to have changed, or maybe I just don’t smell so bad.  I am showered and my clothes have been washed after all.  It was quite a delightful morning all in all!

Then the hill started!!  You know, these lovely things I’ve signed up to hike for the next few months.  After having been lulled into a failed sense of security along the river my legs were soon on fire again, but as usual, they only hurt in the moment.

I arrived at the shelter quite early and just chilled out for a few hours waiting for the guys to make their way in from town.  Naturally I opened one of the 7 beers I had packed out from town.

The postings on FarOut suggested that a snake had taken up residence and I can confirm there is a big black rat snake!  At one point it slivered out and sat by the stream taking a drink.  It really did not mind that we were there at all.

Cheeto turns up some time mid afternoon and suggests we have a beer, so we did.  This probably meant I was going no further that day, but he was sure the guys would be in late if at all.  So we just hung out at the shelter drinking beer and meeting all kinds of folks, the most interesting of whom were a group of about 9 collage kids on a backpacking trip from Michigan.  Lots of them were new to backpacking, with one of them having packed out 9 cans of Campbells soup.  He did not realise there were no bins, and with our habit of packing out a 6 pack, I feel his pain.

In other news Leicester City won the championship!  Back to the premiership we go!

The fellowship finally made an appearance at about 6pm, by which time I had consumed said 7 pack, and was not hiking on even if they had wanted to.

Oh dear there are no privy’s in this section!  It’s a long old hike to Mountain Harbour.