Date: 2022-09-07
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter Mile 823.1

To: Established site off Reservoir Road Mile 802.3
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: broken clouds

After yesterdays excessively long packing up, I did much better today and got out in an hour and a half. It definitely takes a little bit longer to pack up in the dark, especially when you¢re trying to not wake up the other person in the shelter. I¢m still getting up about 15 minutes later than I had been on the northbound section. There¢s still leaves close to 20 to 30 minutes before you can see without a headlamp. After leaving the shelter the trail did little ups and downs but generally was relatively flat. This is a nice change from the big climb and descent to start yesterday. There were lots of apple trees all along the trail and it seem like we must¢ve been going through an old apple orchard or previous landowners had planted a lot of apple trees. Coach ended up eating quite a few apples and gathering some for tomorrow as well, but I¢m always a little leery about eating things I find on trail.Towards the end of the flat section we started going through a bunch of meadows which is a nice change of pace. This culminated with the climb up through the meadows to Cole Mountain. We were back into the forest for the dip and climb up to Bald Mountain. Coach and I ended up leapfrogging a bunch of this section. Following that we had a big descent over several miles to get down into the gap. Passed Spoon at the road crossing waiting for a ride. We followed the Brown Mountain Creek for a while until we came to the Brown Mountain Creek shelter. I stopped to get water here and make a decision about whether I was going to press on to an established site 6 miles ahead, or stay in the shelter due to the threat of rain and thunderstorms. Daddy Longlegs was already at the shelter and Coach and I walked in together. Since it was supposed to have been raining all afternoon I decided to continue on and push my luck. The other two decided to stay in the shelter and keep dry. I went over the creek on a bridge and then started doubting my decision when I almost stepped on a large black snake that I only saw at the last second when it moved. Fortunately not a poisonous one, but not a good omen either. The trail follows the creek for a while longer before zigging and zagging around the Lynchburg Reservoir. I was hoping that the established site might have access to the Reservoir for a little swim, but the site was away from the Reservoir and it appears to be off limits except for possibly fishing. I was able to find a site to set up my tent, hang the bear rope, and was eating dinner when I first started hearing rumbles of thunder. That storm passed by without any rain and I was in the tent getting ready for bed before any rain arrived. The site is mostly dirt but I was able to find some leaves to scatter around the edge of the tent to keep the splashing rain from covering the tent in mud. That¢s the one downside of some of these established sites where people scrape all the leaf litter off the ground. Fortunately I don¢t think I have to worry about water puddling under the tent but there¢s a creek nearby so if it rains a whole lot I¢ll have to watch for flooding. The sound of the creek also makes it a bit difficult to tell when it stops raining as rain on the trees sounds similar. Steps 38500Weather Forecast: 67/55 chance of Tstorms