Date: 2017-04-24
From: Bobletts Gap Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: moderate rain

We didn't have anybody else show up at the shelter last night. LoneStar thought that more would show up, but it was just the four of us. It rained pretty much all night and continues this morning. I found out later that the shelter before ours was packed and had tents around it as well.I was pretty down this morning. There is a reason that my name is SunSeeker. Endless rain really wears on me and it makes me question why I'm out here. I've only been hiking in rain for two days and the forecast is for sunny weather tomorrow. I sure hope so. I was really dreading putting on wet clothes. I did as much as possible from my sleeping bag and changed at the last possible moment. I was ready to walk within 10 minutes of changing clothes. I had to hike up a quarter of a mile to get back to the AT and that warmed me up. It was raining and foggy most of the day, but the rain wasn't as hard as yesterday. At times the trail became a creek itself, but not for super long stretches. I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple more times, but still no views, just fog. The wind was pretty cold when exposed on a ridge then I'd warm up when I was in a more sheltered part of the trail. I stopped at the first shelter for an early lunch and Nemo was there trying to decide his days agenda. I hung around till I started to get chilled and as I was walking away up walked LoneStar. Nemo told him a campground was in 3 miles that he could call for a shuttle. They had laundry facilities and a grill. The two of them decided to go to the campground as LoneStar's sleeping bag is a little damp from last night. I hiked and talked with LoneStar for the next 3 miles. It was really nice to catch up with him some more. I still think it's pretty wild that I saw him out in the middle of nowhere. The road had a bridge that had a raging creek. I'm so glad there was a bridge as I don't think I could have crossed that one. It would have definitely swept me away.When we got to the road, I continued hiking while they went to the campground. They still planned on making the next shelter where I planned to stay. It was just another 4 miles or so to the shelter and it continues to rain. I was hoping it would stop raining earlier so I could walk my hiking clothes dry. No such luck. Everything is still wet. I didn't have to cross any swollen streams until right before the shelter. So nice wet feet as well.When I arrived at the shelter, there was a pack here, but no owner. About a half hour after I got here, Onion and Floaters friend showed up. Sounds like Onion has injured a tendon or something in her foot and he helped her get to the campground to get shuttled to a hospital. I hope she is okay. Always hard when you hear of someone getting injured. He didn't stay but hiked on.This shelter sleeps twenty and there are quite a few hikers here tonight. Bird and Farley are here and have wet stuff strung up all over. Their sleeping bags and just about everything else they have is wet. Smoky showed up and he had to go to the campground to dry everything out as his pack ended up in one of the creeks. Everyone is looking forward to the sun coming out tomorrow. Tomorrow is a tough hike as there is a very long ascent tomorrow of around 3,000 feet. Oh joy. Not!