Date: 2019-03-22
From: Rural Retreat 

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 24.1

AT day 34 3/22miles to Chestnut Knob Shelter I was looking at my shadow as I was hiking the last 1.5 miles up to Chestnut Shelter.  The wind was howling and light snow was coming down. I couldn¢t believe that it was my shadow moving  forward towards the safety of an enclosed shelter on the top of a mountain.The day started off with high wind advisories for the next 24 hours. I put on my rain jacket to block the wind and stepped outside my motel room to continue my AT hike. Today I traveled across terrain that included rolling farmland, rhododendron thickets, and hills still brown from the fallen leaves. I always feel grateful that farmers allow us to hike across their land. I discovered the power of chocolate glazed donuts. One doughnut gave me longer lasting energy than 2 Cliff bars. I packed out 3 doughnuts for the day. It turned out to be a beautiful AT hiking day.  I passed a sign that marked the 14 way point. Once I got into the woods the trees helped block the wind. The only part of the trail I didn¢t care for was the rock strewn ridges at the beginning of the hike. These rocks and slabs are very dangerous and require concentration and agility to avoid a twisted ankle or wrenched knee  As I climbed higher on the long steep trail that leads up to the shelter, I noticed snow starting to fall. How can this be?  It¢s sunny all around the mountain but the only place it¢s snowing is where I¢m heading. At least it was still warm and not very windy.  The only reliable water source is a piped spring emptying into a pond that is 1.8 miles from the summit and the shelter. It was still snowing when I stopped for water but it wasn¢t very cold yet. I didn¢t even have my wind jacket on. I took a video at the spring and mentioned how it was snowing but it wasn¢t very cold. Well for some reason I decided to put on my rain jacket and warm gloves. I was glad I did because not too long after I left the spring I got to an exposed spot and into the howling cold wind.  Even though I was hiking uphill I started getting cold. At least it was blowing me up the hill. The 1.8 miles to the shelter seemed to last forever.  This is where I noticed my shadow and reflected on how out of place I was. I am a beach person not some mountain explorer. At the same time I felt like a real badass thru hiker walking north despite the dangerous (in my opinion) weather.  I was hoping that the shelter would be empty. I hate staying in shelters with other people. As I got closer and could see the door and I thought about what would happen if it was locked. Well it wasn¢t locked but it was almost full. I got the last spot. Conditions were so bad outside that only a Mt Everest expedition type tent could stay standing and keep you warm. There was no way I could have survived in my tent and it would have been a several hour hike on an exposed rocky ridge before I could have found a campsite out of the wind. I had no choice but to stay in the shelter. All night long the wind gusts would shake the shelter and rattle the door. My air mattress has a slow leak, so every 3 hours it gets soft and loses its insulating properties.  So I get cold which makes me want to pee and it¢s no fun in a crowded shelter having to make the noises necessary to get out of your sleeping bag and walk out into a gale to pee. I got up early and got the heck out of there. I wanted to put in my first marathon distance day to a campsite at a lower elevation. Happy hiking, Silver Streak