Day 45, Tuesday April 13, 2021

 

Lamentations 1 - 5

Grayson Highlands campsite to Hurricane Shelter campsite - 13.5 miles hiked today - 515.0 total AT miles hiked to date.

I thought that I’d accounted for most of the obstacles and challenges that I’d face on this trek (difficult terrain, scarce water, inconsistent resupply, bears, etc.) but apparently I missed one.  According to the sign below, it seems I also need to be looking skyward for the occasional low flying hang glider.  I’ll report if I come across one.

Anyway, we started our day crossing the Grayson Highlands state park, where we saw several more ponies.  The trail was a bit challenging as the ponies were not particularly discerning about where they did their business, and one had to be very careful where one stepped.  By mid morning we had left the ponies behind and climbed over Stone Mountain before arriving at the Scales, the site of a former cattle weighing station now serving as a trailhead for several trails.

Passing through the Scales, we soldiered on, arriving at Old Orchard shelter at lunch time. We had lunch there, joined by Der Dee Dos, who had been on the same schedule as us for the past few days.  At 72, he has more stamina than I could hope for, charging up mountain sides like a stroll in the park.

After lunch, we negotiated another several miles of very rocky terrain, finally deciding to call it an early day when we arrived at Hurricane shelter. The rocky terrain had again taken a toll on both of us.

We camped at the base of the shelter trail, right next to a stream, providing a natural noise machine for the night.  We set up camp, filtered water from the nearby stream, and then climbed up the .2 mile trail to the shelter where we had dinner.  Also located at the shelter was the bear box for our food, and a handy privy.  We turned in early with plans to hike 19 miles tomorrow and then 11 more miles into Atkins on Thursday for resupply (and a possible overnight at the Relax Inn).

Until next time...