Today was our longest day yet, at 20.7 miles. Beast and I got an early start, around 8 am, hoping to make it to our optimistic destination today, No Business Knob Shelter, before possible rains began.
read more (392 words, 4 photos)
Today got started early. Most of the shelter was awake before sunrise, and Beast and I were gone by 7:45, 45 minutes earlier than we usually manage to leave camp. Today featured long uphills that, on account of my cold, still sapped my energy, but I still managed to make it the 15.1 miles to Hogback Ridge Shelter, 5 miles short of our optimistic goal, but still in line with our original plan.
read more (461 words, 6 photos)
I didn't sleep particularly well last night, and woke up rather stiff and with a scratchy throat (which started yesterday) and eyes that felt like they were bulging out of my head.
read more (436 words)
Off to an early start this morning, Beast and I left the Laughing Heart hostel around 6:45, loaded up on breakfast at a diner in town, and headed off on our five day hike to Erwin, TN.
read more (1022 words, 3 photos)
Matt asked, in response to my complaint that the shelters were "always" uphill:
"Wouldn't all (well-designed) shelters be uphill? I think being in a valley or downhill slope would make drainage a problem, or consideration in the construction."
read more (247 words)