Day 38

Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to Cosby Knob Shelter 7.7 miles – AT mile 231.4

Oh Card of the day – XX Judgment

What a night! It turned out to be an awful tent spot on a slant so I could not get comfortable.  Thankfully it was a warm night , so I didn’t need to cocoon into my sleeping bag as I would never have got the balancing act right on my sleeping pad if it were zipped up.

I need new camp shoes and hiking shoes in Hot Springs, so god knows how much that will set me back!  Still I found some money from the sale of my car that I though I had already spent! So that’s a winner, and to be fair my shoes have 140km of the Camino, the coast to coast and the ridge way on them before I set out so I can’t really complain.

Bear lines, we had the debate about bear lines at camps, should the food bags go on the hook or the carabiner?  Answers in a post card!  I guess only thru hikers ever could have this debate, but it kept us entertained.

Any way, back to the day job, I had a double pack of oatmeal and home made mocha! Breakfast of champions.  But just look at the view!  The pic is on FB

The guy next to me woke up angry.  Considering he was snorning and sleep talking half the night, he can’t have been right when he said he did not sleep at all, and was complaining that people were nosey at 7.40!  He also made the passive aggressive comment that he woke up in a bad mood with an attitude, and we should not take it personally, like that excused his behaviour – were calling him Angry Elf, and I’ll keep him in my prayers as I hope he finds his peace.

So we have been seeing these poles at the shelters, and I’ve been thinking what they are for? Some kind of army assault course or something?  Turns out the poles are for hitchin horses.  Which lead me to the question just how do horses sleep?  If they are tied up, how’s that work?

As I walked down the trail I could not help but notice the blown over trees.  Just how do trees grow that have been blown over?  I’ve no idea, but they clearly do.

Beam said I’m asking all the big questions today and it’s not even 9 am!  I guess she has a point.  I’ve been kinda thoughtful for a while now.

Today I got my march on and it felt good.

We took a pack off break at the helipad.  This is an area that is clearly kept maintained for an emergency evacuation.  There are concrete landing spots for the chopper to land.

As I carried on hiking I hit a massively overgrown but right on a steep fall!  Seriously is this trail actually trying to kill me!  I was on my own and nearly fell.

I got to camp by 1230 and we’re staying put!  It’s just the logical point between now and Standing Bear Hostel.  It was so buggy that I got a fire on the go real quick and chucked some wet wood on to create some smoke that soon got them sorted.

Tonight’s dinner, Chicken and Dumplings, tastes just like a Greggs chicken pasty!  Seriously, it’s one of the best out here.

I’ve had this pimple on the side of my face for a few days and this evening we were pimple popping thanks to Beam!  She is currently my hero and it’s probably an ingrowing hair?

Any way we were joined at our fire by Percy the Salamander, who was just hanging out under some wood.

Maybe I should learn a lesson from him.