Cooler Weather

Day 60

We stayed in bed for quite some time before eating the continental breakfast and returning to our hotel room where Nepsis, North Star, and I rested until noon when we had to check out. Nepsis and I went back to the outfitter where she bought a new pack on sale to replace her cheap pack which was falling apart. After, we went to the coffee shop. While I was using the restroom a young guy standing behind Nepsis in line decided to buy her drink for her. You know you're beautiful if someone is willing to buy your drink when you're in hiker mode. After finishing the drink we started hiking just over a mile to a road we turned on. This road took us to another road that winded back in the woods to the Flying Mouse Brewery. We enjoyed their craft beer, which we were spoiled with in Grand Rapids. All the hikers ever buy is cheap beer which we're not so fond of. After having our fill, we wobbled back to the Trail and hiked up a mountain, passing the point that marked a third of the AT, a day before being out here two months. We hiked on to Wilson Creek Shelter and arrived just before dark.

Miles hiked today: 11.2 Total AT miles completed: 735.2 Total AT miles left to hike: 1450.1

Day 61

We slept next to a middle aged hiker named Symphony who kept waking us up with his snoring. As a result, we were tired all day. It was pretty cold in the morning and we stayed under our quilt for quote some time before getting to hiking. The terrain was pretty easy and the Trail started to follow along the Blue Ridge Parkway, switching back and forth, and crossing the road at scenic views. At one such place a car was parked and a couple were taking photos with their tablet. When they saw us they bombarded us with questions about our hike and took a photo of us as if we were a tourist attraction. Further up the Trail someone left a small pile of snacks so we took a few. All day long we passed through a tunnel of green interrupted by the pink and white blooms of the rhododendrons and mountain laurels. Ever since the rain in Daleville the days had been cooler, making hiking easier and more enjoyable. However, since we were tired we hiked a short day and stopped early at Cove Mountain Shelter for the night. We rested, talking to other hikers who passed through and I started reading Treasure Island which I found in a hiker box on Daleville. We went to sleep early, thus ending two months on the Trail.

Miles hiked today: 13.8 Total AT miles completed: 749 Total AT miles left to hike: 1436.3

Day 62

We woke and hiked quickly downhill, and up and over Fork Mountain. A couple of miles later we started a long ascent that lasted the next ten miles. It was all up, but not too steep and gradually became less so. We went up Floyd Mountain and Apple Orchard Mountain that had an FAA tower on top that looked like a giant soccer ball. Just past the summit was a giant rock squished between two rock walls we had to go under. It's known as the Guillotine. A mile from there was Thunder Hill Shelter where we spent the night. Since we hiked fast there was still several hours of daylight left, but we decided to stop all the same.

Miles hiked today: 17.2 Total AT miles completed: 766.2 Total AT miles left to hike: 1419.1

Day 63

We were the last to get up, but the first to start hiking today. We hiked fast, mostly downhill with one small uphill. We hiked all the way down the elevation we had just hiked up yesterday. Once down from the mountains we followed Matt's Creek to James River and followed that a mile to the James River Foot Bridge, named after William Foot, the longest footbridge on the AT. Right after crossing the bridge, we hitched to Glasgow to resupply. First we went to the one restaurant in town and bought a pizza. We ate half of it and brought the rest with us in a box to the library. We left our packs out front like we usually do and left the pizza with them. After a couple of hours on the computers we came out to find ants all over the pizza. Despite this, Nepsis found two slices she considered safe and ate those. I chose not to partake. Instead we bought some food to eat along with resupply items and ate our dinner on a picnic table outside the grocery store. After, we felt too full to hike the 1.7 miles to the next shelter and opted to stay in town the night. An Eagle Scout constructed what is practically a shelter in town, except it has electrical outlets that didn't work, a port-o-potty instead of a privy, and an outdoor shower with cold water.

Miles hiked today: 14.6 Total AT miles completed: 780.8 Total AT miles left to hike: 1404.5

Day 64

I woke up and Nepsis informed me she felt sick all night and barely slept, so we took a zero. Fortunately, we were in a town with a free shelter to stay in. Nepsis pretty much slept and read all day in the shelter while I spent most of my time at the library. At first I felt bad for taking another zero so soon after the other one. We see a lot of hikers going fast and there is some pressure to go fast too. But we don't have to go that fast. I think we should slow down a bit, take a bit more of the Trail in. It is a difficult balance to achieve. Some people meander along the Trail and I don't think many of them will reach Katahdin. If we stopped every time we hurt or were tired, we'd never make it. We have to push ourselves toward the goal without losing our sense of the present. We have to choose to stop for a couple hours at a nice swimming hole, but push ourselves to go another five miles after.

Day 65

We woke up and Nepsis was feeling much better, but not completely ship-shape. Another hiker scheduled a shuttle to take us back to the trailhead at 8:30, later than we usually begin. The first part of our hike was up Bluff Mountain, a big ascent, but not too steep. We hiked slowly, especially uphill, all day. Thankfully, our big climb of the day wad right at the beginning and the rest of the day wad either downhill or quite flat. We hiked slow, but steady and the last several miles was alongside Brown Mountain Creek where there were ruins  of a small community of freed slaves who had settled there in the early 1900s. We passed the eight hundred mile mark just before arriving  at the Brown Mountain Creek Shelter where we fell asleep to the rushing waters of the creek nearby.

Miles hiked today: 20 Total AT miles completed: 800.8 Total AT miles left to hike: 1384.5