Day 53

Cherry Gap Shelter to Ash Gap 15.7 miles – AT mile 377.4

Card of the day – Ace of Pentacles

Well the owls were screeching , the kids were up talking and I had forgotten to put a packet of skittles in my food bag, so all in all it was another night of substandard sleep.  It’s becoming a bit of a thing.

Those kids are great really just doing their thing.  They are on a collage trip and woefully green in the most delightful way.  I’ve seen them a few times over the last few days and answered all their questions and told a few stories to make them laugh.  I’m secretly quite jealous that they had this opportunity.  I didn’t start backpacking till I was in my mid 30s.   They think we’re superstars, but then thru hikers are the aristocracy of the hiking class to borrow a line from the film cocktail.

I was out by 820, which considering the first alarm went off at 6am was not really an achievement.

As I got started hiking it was up and into the clouds I went but it was still hot!

I bumped into more Trail Magic, this time by Colours who hiked in 2017.  I had missed him the other day as he was still setting up when I passed.  He has been raising money to help find a lost dog who was about to complete the triple crown.  The dogs owner has spend a fortune trying to find the dog and now only has a short time life before they have to leave to go back to Canada!

Finally I hiked below the clouds, over rolling hills and through meadows.  All in all it made for a pleasant days walking.

I was fortunate enough to pass another tortoise and another orange lizard, I wonder if they are hiking north to?  If they can make it to Katahdin then surly I can?

I took a quick pack off break at Greasy Creek Gap and off I go again!  Emm honey buns!  I’m fairly sure these things would be illegal back home and if not you would need a second mortgage to pay for the sugar tax on them.

Little Rock knob vista was worth the climb!  They say you should take the views when you can, and with some of the weather we have had the last few days I know this to be true.

Needing water I hit the next spring.  It was a poor water sauce, so I used the old leaf trick!  It’s amazing the skills you pick up on trail.

If I can do 15 miles over today’s hills then I’ve got this!  You just need to suck up the pain some times.

I got a blister! Dam new shoes!  I’m really not happy with my Topo’s, it’s nothing to do with the shoe per se, it’s more that I’m use to my Merrells and the way they fit.  At the next outfitters I’ll try grab some insoles for them.

Good evening in camp with Beam and in bed by hiker midnight.  The rest of the fellowship are some ways back.

It’s a 2 ibuprofen for desert kinda day, it’s been hard on the feet and knees.  I’ve not been taking to many of them, but I figure they can’t hurt once in a while to take down some of the beating I put my body through.

Oddly it took ages to find a stone to use to hang my bear bag but for the second day in a row someone complimented it.  I’m starting to feel like it’s not the worst thing I have to do each day.