Date: 2015-03-19
From: Davenport Gap

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 33.0

Today started out with rain, continued with rain, and ended with more rain. It wasn't the wetness as much (although it does give one wicked chafing) as the the fierce winds gusting at least 30 mph. It turned an upper 30's/lower 40 day into a fairly dangerous situation in which hypothermia could likely happen if one wasn't careful.I began the climb up out of Davenport Gap with Chad, a nice guy from Little Rock, Arkansas. There was also IronManPete, JustPete, and the Diabolical Duo. The temperature kept dropping and the winds picked up. The uphill was an unexpected benefit, as it greatly warmed me up. After the first significant climb and descent, there was a kind gentlemen with a sign proclaiming, "trail angel--free refreshments". What a great gesture... As it was so cold, I was fearful of stopping and having my muscles cramp. I thanked the man and kept going.The next climb was up to Max Patch, a "bald", (a treeless mountain top). Sounds neat, eh?! Not in the driving rain!!! With no protection from the elements, it was a dangerously cold and exposed traverse.It was then that I began to jog, just to limit my time on that peak. The rains strengthened and I began to reconsider my goal for the day. At times, I was lucky enough to hike over to the leeward side, giving myself a chance to warm.I stopped at the second shelter I passed. There was three guys there- one who had stopped for the day. The other two decided to press on to the next shelter which was another four miles away.I ate some jerky and headed back out into the wet and cold. I didn't want to stop moving for long. I kept a good pace and was focusing on another 12 miles. Whenever the trail would go back up higher, or even to the windward side, things changed dramatically.At one point, I ran into a high school boyfriend/girlfriend who were training for the PCT! It was great chatting with them. I can't remember the guy's name, but she was originally named Kahtahdin!! (It's now Katey).I hit a good stride and decided that town could be in reach. I wanted to be careful to not overstretch it, but it seemed plausible. By afternoon, it was very apparent that I was in range of town. I was still planning/hoping to find a nice, sheltered camp spot. The terrain became more forgiving with lots of reasonable downhills and so I continued.The last folks that I got to new today on the trail was Cornelius and Petra. They were great folks from Germany who were hiking with their dog. I blasted through the last 7 miles in no time. I got to the trailhead/edge of town by 730. At the edge of the trail was a mini-cooler with hot dogs, cheese, and sodas!! It was put their by a Ridge Runner!!! Thanks guy!It was sad when a fellow approached m and asked if I had seen his hound dog.    "No. Sure haven't."It was bad news that I didn't want to give. It turned out he was the brother of the hostel at Davenport Gap. I sure hope he finds his pooch. He looked sick with the thoughts of his dog lost out in the woods.I quickly got a room at local place. Then, in short order, I began stuffing my face!!!! Finally, an obnoxiously long and hot shower to erase all of those cold, wet hours of hiking. Ahhh, nice!! Town stop!!!