Date: 2018-05-16
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Carvers Gap 
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: moderate rain

My alarm went off at 5:30am and true to the weatherman¢s prediction it was raining! I got myself up anyway. I had chocolate milk and pop tarts for breakfast. We were out the door by 6:30am.  Papa Big Swig dropped me off around 7.30am. This was my starting point where I had finished yesterday. I put on my little pack, then my rain poncho and headed into the woods for a full day of UP!  I hiked alone the first 2.5 hours to Clyde Smith shelter. I did cross paths with two SOBO¢s, several lizards that were brilliantly orange colored, and one snail! I also passed a couple of tent sites but not a human was stirring. I don¢t blame them for sleeping in. Packing up a wet tent is no fun.  The rain really didn¢t bother me though. It wasn¢t too cold, no insects were flying around, and I hiked at a pretty good pace for me.(speedy sloth) I was hoping that I had left early enough to catch my group from yesterday still at the shelter, but when I arrived not a soul was around.  It was still raining cats and dogs. I sat alone, ate some peanut butter crackers and figured it was about 4 more hours hike to the next shelter. I also checked the guest book and saw  Lorax did make it there last night, and Honeybear had been there yesterday too. I couldn¢t be too far behind my group. After 20 minutes or so I put my rain gear on and sloshed back out onto the trail. Not a long ways down the trail I came to a road crossing and there it was, trail magic! Toe pick and Tank(previous A.T.hikers) had set up their suv with a pop-up canopy and cooked us a full breakfast! Eggs with sausage and hash browns. They had O.J. and pop too! I was the last hiker to get to enjoy it. It was noon and that¢s the time they had planned to call it quits. It was a great breakfast lunch for me and held me the rest of the way through today¢s hike. Pictured is Tank on the left, Toe Pick on the right, Short Mile eating, and Lorax getting ready to hit the trail. Yes! I at least caught up with The Lorax! (He¢s on Trail Journals too) Lorax and I hiked together for a little while. We had some great conversation. He¢s a very nice person, and pretty funny too! His wife is a nurse like me, and his work was similar to Papa Big Swig¢s work. I¢m pretty sure he¢s retired now though. Anyway we made a plan to meet at the next shelter and I eventually hiked on alone.  At some point Short Mile caught me.  We hiked together about one ¢short mile¢ before he moved on. So I was alone the rest of the way to the shelter. Still raining, and still all up.  The water was now running down the trail creating a stream. My boots were soaked all the way through. At one point I passed a stone fireplace with a chimney just sitting out there in the middle of nowhere. The rain and fog prevented any views today, so my photos are of these little oddities. I kept on walking down the stream trail feeling thankful the bottom was mostly rock and not mud. At least my boots were just wet, not wet and muddy. My trekking poles were clanking on the rocks below making me a loud hiker. This was a good thing!  I happened upon a bear grazing to my left. The noise from my poles scared the bejeepers right out of him! He ran in front of me across the trail and up the mountain on my right. He was a fairly good sized adult, but I¢m proud to say that I was totally okay with the bear. I just enjoyed the moment watching him run.  I only paused a minute before walking my last 200yards or so to the Roan High Knob Shelter. It was UP all day to here, the highest shelter on the entire Appalachian Trail at 6249ft elevation! Short Mile was already there, and not long after me Cheddar and Slacker arrived(who I had not seen all day). Eventually The Lorax made it there safely too. I say safely, because today had some questionable terrain.  The Lorax had decided to catch a ride with us into town. He and I soon headed out for the last 1.5 miles of our day. This will be our only down today. And just like that, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and we felt warm sunshine all the way to Papa Big Swig.  Another great day on the A.T.!  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018) Where¢s your faith?