Date: 2016-12-24
From: Low gap

To: Flint mountain shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

Man today we woke up in the rain, it rained all day, and it's still a misty rain right now. But merry christmas! We stayed in bed until about 8. It's so hard to get out of the warm dry hammock and into the wet windy outside. And even harder to break camp and get going. The spring was flowing near camp but super slow. So we weren't actually hiking until 11. We had big dreams of a Christmas cocktail in hot springs tomorrow but I think those have been dashed. We would've needed to push another 6 miles today, hiking til 10 or so and then pull 27 tomorrow. It wasnt complete fantasy but the fog and mist never let up so once it was dark and foggy and I couldn't see 2 feet in front of my face I started having flashbacks to Grayson highlands and was done. I don't know what got into Kate. About an hour before dark our plan was to go to this shelter, then 4 miles away, and reassess the visibility to decide on following through with the hike. She was leaning towards stopping already being wet and unhappy. That was all well and good with me. Then a mile in there ate signs for a new hostel basically right on trail. So I start thinking, well if we end up just going to this shelter, that guarantees another day to get to hot springs, so what's 3 miles? We might as well go get the pizza and ice cream inside. When I catch up to her to float this thought, she's decided she wants to go another 16 miles, i.e. 8 more hours of night rain hiking through several rocky ridges and balds. As she had clearly lost her mind I huffed off saying wed meet at the shelter and reassess. On the way darkness sets in, the fog gets worse and it starts raining harder. I'm a little pissed at having been so right but decide to zen it out, it being christmas and all. When I get to the shelter there's a dude just standing in the dark watching me approach. Kind of freaky but he seemed nice enough. He's actually a nobo, and when I think about it, why not? He goes through the same winter as we do and it's spring by the time he's north. Might work. I tell him about my predicament with possibly having to hike until the am, plus my concern that someone is living at the next shelter (tealeaf had relayed this intel) turns out it was him! He's got a big Ole tarp that he strings up and must've took over the last one. Anyway Kate arrives and STILL wants to push on over the rocky balds on zero visibility. I wasn't having it and I think she was just bluffing to make me be the pansy. And fine. I'll be the pansy. I'm a smart pansy. We had even read how there's a two mile, strenuous, rocky section that's exposed on a ridge and treacherous if slippery. Anyway, I sound more bitter than I actually am. We had some nice hot toddies and Mr. C's christmas candy. It might be the worst christmas eve I've ever had in my life, but there were a few moments I enjoyed myself! Of note were several visits by woodland creatures. This morning while filling up my platypus, a beautiful salamander walked right onto it. It's just a tiny pool under the spring and that's where he lives. Later a possum stared me down in the middle of the trail. I thought it must be rabid to be out at daytime and not running, but I clanked my poles and he ran off. Well, slowly waddled off. I guess they can't move fast as I was gaining on him with a brisk walk. Then just outside this shelter a bunny came up to me and said hi. I yelled merry Christmas and she ran for her life.