Date: 2009-04-19
From: Overmountain Shelter, NC/TN 

To: Mountaineer Shelter, TN (NO MORE NC!!) 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Cell noneOG notesWe had one heck of a day today. It started with two big mountains and then an edge walk around the side of the mountain. We then stopped for lunch and then the afternoon started with another mountain climb. Oh did I mention the rain that was falling on us? It was a light rain for most of the day, but still it was cold and chilling.Today was an emotional day; the mountains and rain taxed our minds and bodies. By the time we reached this shelter we were exhausted. The highlight of the day was that we are in the shelter tonight and not in our tent. We are expecting rain tonight and no one wants to be in their tent.We're in a shelter that was built by 2006 thru-hikers who worked on it after Damascus Traildays. I didn't go to traildays and we're not planning to go this year either. We are slow hikers and want to concentrate on hiking. We discussed maybe attending next years Traildays.We're sitting here at 7:48 pm and the temperature is dropping rapidly. The rain has chilled everything and with the sun almost gone there is nothing to keep the air warm. We'll be in our sleeping bags soon in order to keep warm. Incidentally we both have down jackets and they are working great. I didn't have one in 2006 and I was envious of those who did. I'm seeing more hikers with them than without, I guess the word got out on how great they are. I also use mine in my sleeping bag as an extra layer over my chest. If I keep that part of me warm I sleep much better. I recommend all future AT thru-hikers to have a down jacket. I have a 15 degree bag that seems to be adequate; I also have a silk liner bag that is supposed to add more temperature rating.C6 notesHard day today. Rain, and more uphills than we thought there was going to be. Once one's body gets in shape, a large part of the challenge of thru-hiking is mental. I'm finding that if I'm not mentally prepared for how difficult the day's hike will be, I tend to have a meltdown at some point during the hike. With the rain and difficult climbs today, I had a few meltdowns throughout the day. OG is so good with me during them. He knows to just let me cry and stew. (My meltdowns are just times of extreme frustration with tears.)I'm worried about my feet today. Both yesterday and today I've had pain in my feet. We will hike to a hostel in Kincora, TN tomorrow (about 14 miles) and see how my feet are feeling. If needed, we'll stay there an extra day (0 day).We are now completely finished with North Carolina. Whoo hoo! And 3 miles into tomorrow we hit 400 miles. Whoo hoo!The shelter we're staying in tonight was built about 2 weeks after OG hiked this part of the AT in 2006. In mid-May there i a gathering called "Trail Days" in Damascus, VA. Current and past hikers gather in Damascus for 3 days each year. One of the things that happens immediately after Trail Days is that volunteers go work on part of the AT. In 2006, a team built this shelter. OG didn't attend Trail Days in 2006, and >we don't plan to this year either. It's a challenge to get transportation back to Damascus, and then back to the Trail after Trail Days. Plus, you lose 3-5 days of hiking, and we don't want to lose those days.Old Goat & Check Six