Date: 2018-10-13
From: Albert Mountain

To: Moore Creek
Miles today: 10.7

Day 16 was my last full day on the AT.  It was a lovely walk in the woods.  My pickup point was set around 15 miles north in the mid afternoon on Sunday so I was in no hurry.  The night was very cold.  Everything inside my sleeping bag was warm, but any part of me outside was COLD.  I woke up before sunrise and debated whether to watch it rise.  It was sooooooo hard to get up, but get up I did.  I bundled up as best I could and climbed up the fire tower.  The two seniors from the University of Georgia were already there.  They had the right idea and were bundled up in their sleeping bags.  The wind was blowing hard and it was cold.  I was so thankful that I¢d said yes to this experience because the sunrise was stunning, glorious.  It lasted for almost 30 minutes and played off a complex setting of clouds, constantly changing shape and color, going between hues of red and orange.  It filled the eastern half of the sky.  I can¢t recall a more spectacular sunrise, and I enjoyed sharing it with Nathan and Luke. I crawled back into the sleeping bag to warm up and send out some pictures since I had cell service.  I tried to go back to sleep but couldn¢t as there was too much noise.  The fire tower was a popular meeting point and when I got up there was at least 8 people and five dogs milling about  I got up and enjoyed a hot breakfast before packing up   I was on the trail a bit late, around 9:00  I ran into Jason and Cross just below the peak  They were the two I¢d given some water too the evening before.  Cross was not feeling well and looked rough.  Jason hypothesized it was some whisky they¢d been drinking.Most of the morning was spent going down, giving back the hard fought elevation gained the day before  Jason passed me twice but I caught up to him while he was waiting for Cross, who was vomiting repeatedly. I saw lots of hikers heading up to the fire tower on my way down.  Once I passed parking off of some paved road, I didn¢t see anyone else.In the afternoon I gained some elevation only to give it back later in the day.My feet and knees where complaining about all the downhill walking today and I was happy to get to my campsite  It was a lovely setting just off the AT right by a creek (source of water).  I was setting up when Jason arrived.  He and Cross, who arrived maybe 30 minutes later, also camped at the same location  It was just the three of us   I had a yummy chicken fajita Mountain House dinner with Jason and Cross  I learned they were both from Nashville, in their early 30¢s and both in cyber security.  Jason was a sales manager and Cross a security engineer.  Cross built a warm fire which was welcome on the chilly evening.  They were good company.  They were planning a 22 mile day on Sunday but I¢m thankful for my shorter and more peaceful mileage.  I have to push pretty hard to get around the 15 mile mark. I¢d have to start real early and hike a loooooooong day to do the 22 miles.It wasn¢t supposed to rain Saturday night but it did.  I hadn¢t covered my pack with a pack cover (sloppy on my part) so I had to get up and drag it into the tent.  A wet pack is a heavy pack.My sister previously asked if it was getting easier.  I can definitely say that as I¢ve gotten stronger, the terrain has gotta more approachable, and the weather has cooled off, yes it is easier now (now that it¢s time to come off the trail).  Not going through so much water each day is wonderful.   I¢m looking forward to some elevation gain on Sunday and a peaceful finish for this wonderful experience. As of now, my total mileage is 124.4.Daily steps: 41,000Daily floors: 148