Date: 2017-03-31
From: Cooper Gap

To: Lance Creek 
Miles today: 11.8

Day 3 on the Appalachian TrailMarch 31Miles today: 11.8Total Miles: 23.9Pretty crazy storm last night. Rolled in just as dad and I were heading to bed around 8:30. Heavy rain mixed with some lightning and thunder. Definitely the worst storm I've been out in the woods for. It was interesting to say the least. I made the mistake of hanging my tarp too low to my hammock and once the rain picked up the tarp was about 4 inches away from my face. Every time I picked my head up I would hit it and I could feel the wetness on the underside of the tarp on my face. It was unpleasant but it was my own mistake. I woke up around 6:30 and the storm had passed. I could hear turkeys gobbling off in the distance and for a moment it brought me back home. We have a flock of probably close to 30 that come through our yard several times a day. It's quite the scene to see. The usual takedown occurred and I was out of camp a little after 8. This morning I told my dad I was going to push to Neel Gap and get there as soon as possible. I will wait for him there and give my feet some time to recover. Right off the bat I was climbing. We had stopped just before Justus Mt. It was a quick climb to the top and then I was on my way downhill for a while. Since I was going to be by myself for the day, I popped in my earbuds and cranked up some tunes. First song that came on was "My Body" by Young The Giant. The songs chorus goes "My body tells me no! But I won't quit, cuz I want more." I felt it was an appropriate song to come on at the time since I've been struggling against myself and it describes exactly how I'm feeling. I won't quit. I came out here to experience the trail and that's what I'm gonna do. To tell the truth, I think music is what got me through the day today. I've always known it was a powerful type of art. You can find music for any emotion you're feeling at any given time and it can make you feel better or do the complete opposite and pull you down. It truly pushed me through the day today and helped me forget about any pain I was feeling. Before long I was heading up Ramrock Mt. It was a steep, but short climb and offered a good view from the top. Some people I had met were at the top having a snack and enjoying the view. I stopped for a minute to chat, eat a smashed poptart, and then I was on my way down the Mt. I was making short work of the trail and soon came to Woody Gap. I crossed the highway and headed up the steepest and longest climb of the day. It was well worth it because at the top, the best view the AT had to offer up until this point was waiting for me. At the top I met a young married couple. The husbands dad was hiking with them too. It was cool to meet another person who was hiking with their dad however, I instantly felt bad about leaving my dad behind. After summiting it was a short hike, maybe 2.5 miles or so to Lance Creek where I decided to spend the night. I arrived in Lance Creek around 3. I couldn't be happier with the miles I went in the time that I did today. It was a damn good day, was a lot less painful then yesterday, and I've met some cool people here at Lance that will be spending the night as well. I'm looking forward to spending time with some other people and possible making some new friends out on the trail.