Ezra 1 - 10
Jerry Cabin Shelter campsite to Hogback Ridge shelter campsite - 15.7 miles - 317.5 total AT miles hiked.
Well I guess they can’t all be sunshine and clear days. Woke this morning to a continuing rain, which hadn’t let up since yesterday. Packed up the tent in the rain , adding about 2 pounds to the pack from the retained water. Headed out around 8 am, with another 15+ mile day planned.
Progress was slow, often leaning into 40 mph gusts and driving rain. Hiking up the mountains felt like trying to climb a mudslide. Downhills consisted of slipping and sliding through a torrent of muddy water. All in all, not a pleasant experience, but all part of the adventure. To top it off, on top of Big Butt Mountains (that’s what the sign said) I encountered was another technical, requiring clambering over boulders and rock outcroppings while accounting for the prevailing winds and slick conditions. I felt like a contestant on some deranged reality show.
However, I survived the morning and ended up at Flint Mountain Shelter for lunch (PBJ). It was about half way to our intimate destination for the day. Stayed for half an hour and saw about 15 other thru hikers come and go. Most I had seen or met along the way.
After lunch , I headed back out into the drizzle and continued on. Rick had caught up to me by then (I’d started earlier than he had). As we crossed a road at the bottom of one of the hills, there was fresh fruit left by a trail angel. I had an orange and Rick had a banana. Shortly thereafter we can across the Laurel Hostel, so decided to check it out. It was about as bare bones an operation you could imagine, with a 3 sets of 2x4 bunk beds and a refrigerator with minimal supplies. After drinking a Coke, we headed on.
The rest of the afternoon was more rain and dropping temperatures. By the time I reached camp at about 5:30, it had stopped raining, but had gotten considerably colder. Forecast for the night was for below freezing temperatures, which would be the case for the next several days at night. Quickly setting up camp and eating dinner, I called it a night, knowing I’d wake to frozen clothes and shoes. Oh joy!
Until next time...
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