Day 93 – Oops, We’re Hiking

I got a fantastic night of sleep at the Assembly of God Church Hostel. I woke up rested with readymade breakfast. There was leftover pizza in the fridge and someone was up making pancakes. The fans and air conditioning in the basement we slept in kept temperatures at a very sleepable place.

We took our time commiserating with the group and packing our things fell as a secondary task. It was good catching up with Ruby, Hot Feet, and Kenny Powers. It was past 11:00 by the time we left the hostel to start walking, our stomachs eyeballing a gas station on the way out of town.

We stopped at a Pilot gas station for Subway and a small resupply. Stomachs full and content, we crossed the bridge over the river and started up mountain when I realized I had never gone to the post office. The whole reason we stopped and cut miles short into town in the first place was to catch the post office open on a Monday.

I tried to Uber back into town, no dice. It would only have been a one mile walk back, but I’m stubborn. After battling with automated phone lines for 30 minutes, I finally reached a person. I was able to bump the package forward to the next town after talking with someone from the post office in about three minutes. Disaster averted.

The rest of the day was pretty standard. Hike, avoid rocks as best you can, pop out of the green tunnel to see a hazy view every now and again. Oh yeah, and find blackberries along the trail and eat a few ripe ones before moving on. After the initial climb, the ridgeline we rode the rest of the day was fairly flat.

With all the delays and snafus, we didn’t manage to start on the actual trail until around 2:00 p.m. The gnats were out in full force again. The more you sweat or more humid it is, the more of them around. They like to fly right around your face, which is an extra special treat. Rabbit has a small bug net that goes over your face. I may ask him find it for me before we leave tomorrow. It looks ridiculous to wear, but I’ll take that over trying to blow bugs away from eyeballs all day.

We managed 11 miles before stopping around 7:30 at a shelter for the night. It was a nice two-story shelter with a porch and bear box.

The group was comprised of myself, Rabbit, BBQ, Iroh, and an older gentleman named “Psychodelic Shaman.” It was an interesting congregation, but conversation was good as we ate dinner and set up for the night.

Strong winds blew as we ate at Peters Mountain Shelter. We sat and watched a rainstorm roll in. Over a few hours, the rain came in waves and heavy drops fell on the tin roofed structure. Tree outlines would flicker as bright light filled the sky. Thunder would boom around us, but no cracks of lightning ever really came that close. Rinse. Repeat.

Sleep came quickly.

Stow away in my pack for day 94 of the Appalachian Trail.