Day 30

This was a BIG day! My first night in a shelter turned out to be a positive experience. With my beanie that rolls over my eyes and my earplugs, the other people didn’t bother me at all. There was no issue with mice either. I have a picture here with Cap’n Caveman, who’s a trail runner. He was a great guy and a wealth of knowledge. Big respect! I’m glad I had my filter with me as my tempe thermometer on my pack said it got down to 31 F. It was a cold start to the morning. A lot of the ground was covered in frost in the morning. I felt good and hiked my butt off today. I knew it was going to be a tough day with lots of inclines and declines as I was warned by Bottle Rocket, who’s a few days ahead of me. Still, I crushed today! I blew past the shelter I planned on staying at and went an additional 1.7 miles to the next one. With side trips (bathroom breaks and getting water), I hiked exactly 14 miles today. That’s a new record for me! My right ankle was a bit puffy when I got to camp. I think I should probably take my calf compressions off every now and then. LOL! Oh, growing up as a kid, my family and I used to go to Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains every year. So it was absolutely incredible to see Cades Cove today, from many miles away, high up on a mountain looking down and seeing the cove in the distance. Thank you, Cap’n Caveman, for pointing it out or I wouldn’t have even know that was Cades Cove from that distance. Okay, time for bed as I’m writing this and tomorrow is a big day! I am 2.8 miles away from Clingman’s Dome. I could see it from a distance all day today (pic with label posted) and I’m happy to climb it tomorrow. It’s the highest peak of the entire AT (also the highest peak this side of the Mississippi) at 6,612 ft and also means I hit 200 miles on the AT. I’m excited to hit that milestone. I will then continue on to Newfound Gap and hopefully find a ride into Gatlinburg where I have a room waiting for me so I can shower, sleep in a bed and get back on trial early the next day. Hopefully I’ll also be able to get my Relive videos posted to Instagram as well, and get these HikerFeed journals posted.

Oh, I have to explain the last picture: A lady named Pyro wanted to take a picture of everyone. I was just coming back from filtering water. A section hiker put out 2 whiskey bottles. Willow saw me coming and said, “Wait! We have to get Last Call in the picture behind the whiskey! He’s the bartender!” So I got behind the whiskey and grabbed my water bottle and started shaking it. Everyone started laughing and she took this pic. You can barely see me but that’s the story.