Date: 2016-06-11
From: Stealth campsite on Loft Mountain

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

It was blissfully cool this morning again and I enjoyed laying in my sleeping bag a little longer this morning. I kept thinking I was giving my sore feet a few extra minutes to recover. Geo and Fast Eddy packed up quickly and were down the trail before I emerged from my tent. I finally got up as the sun came streaming through the trees. It was cool with the wind on top so I put on my nylon wind shirt to stay warm. I started tearing my tent down and packing up, eating breakfast, sorting through my food for the day, brushing my teeth, and doctoring my blisters. I should be getting faster at my morning ritual but it generally takes me an hour and a half.I started down Loft Mountain and came to an overlook. It was a good view but the sun was shining right at me and it wouldn't make a good picture. I turned to head down the trail and noticed I was standing next to a massive flowering bush that was covered in bees. It was a pollinator's dream and there were several kinds of bees and butterflies going from flower to flower, all heavily laden with pollen. I watched this spectacle for about 10 minutes and tried to get some good bee pictures. Lilo and Stitch came up just as I was leaving. They had gotten up at 5 am and already put in 6 miles. Beasts!The trail today was full of ups and downs, a little steeper than the past couple of days, but generally in the +/- 800 feet range. I had lunch at Pinefield Hut and ran into Breeze and Xtra-tuff. A ridge runner named Blissful came in shortly after and she was trying to help a German hiker named Joules who was struggling. After lunch there was another climb up Weaver Mountain and then down into Simmons Gap. Out of Simmons Gap there was another climb and then a descent to an overlook. At the overlook was the 900 mile milestone! Some hikers had fashioned a 900 sign out of sticks marking the milestone. WarCry, Salt and Pepper (a German couple), SeaDog, Pickles, and Bullseye were hanging around taking a break and taking their picture with the mile marker. Milestones like this are great celebrations, and only 1289 more miles to go! Coming out of Smith Roach Gap a few miles later I saw my first 2 bear cubs and their mama. A cub was climbing up a tree about 20 yards away from me when I first saw him. The cub climbed down and ran down the hillside. I didn't see the mother at first until she moved from behind the tree and ran down with the cub about 50 yards down the hill and stopped to watch me. I didn't see the second cub at first until it came sliding down the tree and ran down the hill to join its mother and the other cub. Seeing the cubs romping around was a real treat for the day. A couple of day hikers named Lidia and Vash came up behind me not long after and had a lot of questions about hiking the AT. Once again I had great fun answering their questions. When the got to their car they offered me a cold water and I said, "Yes, trail magic!". They asked what trail magic was and I got to give them the full explanation about trail magic. They were so excited to think about doing that on future trips and wanting to be "trail angels". Converts!! (They also gave me a Hershey Bar :-))It was a short 1.6 miles up to Hightop Hut. There was a good crowd there but the shelter itself was pretty open so I took a spot. At the shelter that night were Geo and Fast Eddy, Breeze, Xtra-tuff, Christina, Tenacious, Salt and Pepper, SeaDog, Pickle, and Bullseye. It was a fun crowd with a lively conversation going as everyone cooked their dinner. We were all 900 milers now, and that gave everyone a sense of accomplishment.