Day twenty seven

Saturday March 25, 2017

And the rains came again in the middle of the night. And it was still rainy and misty as I packed up my wet tent and began another long 12 mile day. And the wind, today it was even stronger than yesterday. And that nice dry trail that I talked about yesterday, well it vanished sometime during the night. Today’s trail was muddy and slippery. And my hike today would take me up and over 5440 ft. Rocky Top Tennessee then on to the slightly higher 5527 ft. Thunderhead Mountain. 

I struggled all day, wet, exhausted, and huffing and puffing up every hill. But once I reached Thunderhead it was a series of ups and downs all the way to Derrick’s Noble shelter were I had planned to stop for the night.

Ever since I started planning this hike and saw Derrick Noble shelter in the guide I knew that I would be staying at this shelter. Not in the shelter itself but in my tent near the shelter. This shelter was pretty, built of stone with a tin roof. This shelter even had a fireplace. But shelters are always dirty, mice infested, and before the night is over, over crowded.  I prefer the privacy and solitude of my tent.

I hiked all afternoon in a drizzle. I arrived at the shelter about 5:00 P.M. and set up my tent under a big hemlock tree. One minute after my tent was set up, the real rain came. Although wet, I wasn’t drenched. I threw my wet pack into my tent and leaned back against it. My wet muddy boots out in the vestibule, and listened to the pouring rain against my tent. I was glad to have another long day behind me. I sat like that for the longest time before I ever moved and started making preparations for the night.

189.0 miles down      2000.8 miles to go