Date: 2018-05-12
From: Middle Creek Campground

To: Harrison Ground Spring
Miles today: 17.2

Curtis delivered us back to the trail by 7:30, but not before Susan cooked up a delicious farmhand breakfast¢sausage, ham, eggs, grits, biscuits and gravy. With no end to her kindness, she also fixed us up some sandwiches for us to pack for our lunch. Curtis and Susan are an awesome team whose over-the-top generosity will not be forgotten. I am so thankful that they are etched in the memories of our journey.Middle Creek ran through the center of the campground, which sat at an elevation of 950 feet. The sun had not yet risen over the eastern mountains when we departed, so the air was still cool and damp. The ground was also saturated with dew and I was grateful that we didn¢t have to sleep in our tent the night before. The trailhead where Curt dropped us marked the beginning of a 1,000¢ climb up Fork Mountain. Although we were on the shady side of the mountain, the air was considerably warmer than the campground and it wasn¢t long before we worked up a good lather of sweat. The second of three ascents of the day was over Floyd Mountain (elevation 3,500¢). The sun now cast its rays on all sides of the mountains and as we climbed above 3,000 feet there was very little canopy to provide shade. The lather soon turned into dripping sweat as we slugged our way up and over the mountain. Although the trees at that altitude have not reached full bloom, the undergrowth has completely smothered the ground below. Peppered among the undergrowth are a wide variety of colorful wild flowers and blooming bushes. The magnificent floral display provided some solace on an otherwise hot and strenuous day of hiking.A short distance after cresting Floyd Mountain we came to Cornelius Creek Shelter. We found refuge from the beaming sun in the small structure and broke out our lunch¢shaved beef sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls. Thank you Susan! From the shelter, the trail meandered a bit before beginning its assault on Apple Orchard Mountain. With full bellies we were practically sleep-hiking. We came upon a sawed off tree trunk sitting next to the trail. It was partially shady here with a slight breeze; a perfect place for a nap. We rested our eyes for about 15 minutes when another hiker walked by, bringing us out of our semi-coma state. Apparently, the rest did us good, as we now had enough energy to make it to the top of our final climb of the day. Apple Orchard Mtn. peaked out at 4,225 feet. The trail took us right by an FAA Weather Radar Station. You just never know what you will happen upon while hiking the AT! As we worked our way down the other side of the mountain we encountered some pretty cool rock formations, some of which provided decent obstacles to work over. One of the interesting rock formations was named The Guillotine. It got its name from a huge bolder that was precariously wedged in the crevice between two walls. Now hiking through the Thunder Ridge Wilderness Area, we passed the largest colony of Mayapples we have seen so far. The plants, many in bloom with bashful white flowers, carpeted several acres of the forest floor. Adjacent to the Mayapple colony was a large cluster of Trilliums, which we had been seeing in an array of colors since early in the day. Hiking down a gentle slope in the early evening air, the final two miles of our hike were the easiest of the day. Still, at 6:30PM when we arrived at Harrison Ground Spring, where we would camp for the night, we were quite exhausted from a full and hot day of hiking. Snow Angel (from Holland) and The Spaniard (from Barcelona) were already set up when we arrived. Two section hikers filled the limited space just as it was turning dark.All in all, it was a hot, tough, tiring and beautiful day on the AT. So blessed to experience it all!Peace and Blessings - Next StepElevation Data:Ascent - 5,930Descent - 3,620Grade - 10.5Weather:Day - 82 / Sunny Night - 65 / Partly CloudyOver the Horizon: Shenandoah National Park