Psalms 42 - 120
Happy Easter. He is risen indeed!
Hughes Gap campsite to a stealth site near the crest of Little Hump Mountain on a bald - 14.2 miles hiked today - 387.6 total AT miles hiked to date.
Easter morning broke clear and cold, although measurably warmer than yesterday. I had my own private sunrise service, thanking God for family, friends, safety, and for Jesus, the “reason for this season”.
Our plan was to hike 18 miles today. What followed that morning was arguably the most difficult hiking conditions thus far, at least for me. Leaving camp about 7:45, the first two miles were a steep climb up Beartown mountain that consumed most of the morning. Once cresting Beartown, we continued over the crest to the lee (shady) side and started down.
Unfortunately, without direct sunlight, the water running down the trail from the rains several days ago had frozen into thick sheets of ice all down the 3 mile descent. It was as treacherous as any section yet hiked. I had three falls on the ice and dozens of near falls. Fortunately only my ego was bruised as my last fall was right in front of a family on a day hike. They offered to help the poor old man up, but I was able to struggle to my feet on my own. Overall, that 5 mile stretch took over 4 hours, essentially eliminating the possibility of an 18 mile day.
Once down off the mountain, we crossed a busy road with dozens of cars with day hiking families out for a pleasant day trip up to Little Rock Knob, a local picnic spot. We had lunch up there (along with several dozen day hikers) and continued on.
The afternoon was much more navigable, with only moderate ascents and descents. By about 5:30, Rick had found us a site near some rock outcroppings close to the summit of Little Hump mountain. Beautiful views but not extremely sheltered, as we are above the tree line. Planning for another cold night near 30.
Set up camp, had dinner on the rock outcropping looking over the valley and then hit the sack.
Until next time...
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