Day 82 – I Love Balds

Day 82

Start: US 60, Long Mountain Wayside

End: Piney River North Fork

Miles Hiked: 12.1

Miles on AT: 821.4

Back on trail and we had a big climb to welcome us. 2,000 feet of gain, let’s go!

These past few days have been similar – hot! The climb wasn’t bad at all though. We reached the top and took a quick break. There wasn’t a view, but we did see one on the way down. We also met another princess – Cinderella! We’d passed her a few days prior but didn’t get a chance to introduce ourselves.

We descended 500 feet and then climbed another 500 feet to a beautiful bald. It’s been so long since we’ve been on top of a bald; it was majestic. There were 360 degree views and the sky was clear with only fluffy clouds. I sat and waited for Janitor while munching on an apple I had packed out. He arrived a few minutes later and joined me in my apple eating (he had one that he packed out, too).

It was so magical up there; I tried to soak up the experience as best I could. We continued on to another bald, then descended to the trees. As we emerged from the green tunnel into a gap, we were greeted by a sea of tents and kids in green shirts. We couldn’t quite figure out what group they were with, but we ran into one of them later on the trail and it turns out they were a Christian adventure group from Michigan. Cool!

We were moving slowly today. Janitor was feeling tired, so we took it easy. Our initial plan was to go to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter, but we reached Piney River (which was more of a creek) and found that it was a perfect campsite. It was already past 6 and we would have to hike another 2 miles if we went to the shelter. Plus, a bunch of the campers were at the water source and we learned they were all going to the shelter. That’s a big group of young boys. Yes, this spot would be perfect for us!

And it really was a nice campsite. There was an interesting boulder with trees growing on and out of it. Once we set up our tent, we relaxed for a bit, then proceeded to eat dinner and complete camp chores. Now, comfy in our quilts, we’re ready to hit the hay.

And that’s day 82.

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