I can't believe I slept until 6 am! I know the weather beat me up yesterday, and I feel well rested. I don't have anything to eat, but I do have a couple inches of water in my cookpot under the eave! I toss a packet of instant coffee in and call it breakfast. We are only a one-hour hike to Burke's Garden and a resupply!
The storm finished in the middle of the night, and I burst outside just before sunrise to take advantage of the gorgeous views that I've read about. Chestnut Knob is 4400 feet elevation, which is about two thousand feet higher than the surrounding countryside. I walk behind the shelter, where I can look down into the valley to the north and west called Burke's Garden, which is a massive 8-mile by 4-mile limestone sink hole.
32 square miles of beauty lay before me beneath the ridge. This makes yesterday's suffer fest completely worth the suck. I breathe in the moist air that has the fresh tang of ozone. The birds are just starting to wake, chirping timidly to their friends that they survived the crazy storm. The rain drops make everything sparkle in the waxing daylight.
The clouds are fat and puffy, and low enough to be level with the ridge, yet the views are magnificent. The sun is rising from the opposite side of the ridge, over my right shoulder, and it illuminates the clouds; the reflection of the sun outlines the bottom of the clouds with slivers of silver and dark blue a stark contrast to the thin layer of dull blue-gray fog down in the valley.
A doorless privy stands behind the shelter and just somehow adds to the scene. A moldering privy in the middle of thorny briars and stinging nettle juxtaposed with the expansive beauty of the valley below. Anyone who sits on that throne has quite the view.
We are almost packed when I receive a message from Cantaloupe, the owner of Burke's Garden. She said if we let her know our ETA, she will pick us up at the trail junction! We take off slightly behind schedule, but the walk is very easy. We mind our steps, since the trail is very slick in parts and we are headed straight down the ridge.
45 minutes later, we arrive at the turn off to the hostel and Cantaloupe pulls up in a big truck. She is all smiles and a beacon of light this morning. Timex decided to skip the hostel and is hiking 15 miles to a waterfall, so we say farewell and happy hiking.
A few minutes later we pull into the hostel. It is adorable! A newly built barndominium with a broad porch and a fabulous view of the ridge we just descended from. Coffee is brewing, waffles are cooking in a waffle iron, and a couple of hikers are scurrying around trying to get packed so Cantaloupe can take them back to Walker's Gap before she makes a run to town. One of them is Leo, who we met briefly at Bear Garden two nights ago. Another is Julie, who is taking her time enjoying the trail and stopping whenever the mood strikes.
Cantaloupe offers to take us to the trail six miles north so we can hike back and get some extra miles today. We love the idea; neither of us wants to only log 2 miles today. She can either take us now, or she can do it after she runs to town, which will be in about 3 hours. I want to go now, but GG wants to wait. I defer to GG, so Cantaloupe takes off and we have time to start our laundry and spread our damp quilts out to dry.
Cantaloupe returns about 2:30 pm, and at 3 we are on Rte. 632 and walking south back to the hostel. It's the shortest slackpack ever, but it's perfect because we are both so worn out from yesterday; that weather really sucked the life out of us both. As a matter of fact, I am so plumb whooped, I am trudging like a turtle. And I'm sweating like crazy. I stop to take off my base layers and GG passes me. She is eager to get back to take a shower!
We have only 600 feet of elevation gain today, which is a walk in the park. The wind is strong at times, and it hurts my face, which is chapped from yesterday's stinging rain.
We reach Walker's Gap for the second time today and see three men with heavily laden packs in front of us heading in the direction of the hostel. We arrive at 5:30 and the gentlemen are sitting on the porch waiting to check in. They are section hiking and also left from Partnership Shelter.
Cantaloupe opens the store so we can reprovision. She apologizes for the limited selection because it's early in the season, but her stock of supplies is impressive, nonetheless. The backpacking meals are cottage industry made instead of the standard Mountain House fare, and I select a couple new flavors to try.
Cantaloupe also carries a great selection of backpacker approved snacks in addition to a freezer full of ice cream and microwave meals. I have quite the selection of treats for the next section and pick something from the frozen section for dinner. We eat dinner and walk outside to catch the most amazing red sunset. My picture is terribly fuzzy, but you get the idea.
I'm close to going to bed when one of the section hikers is going through his food bag, the contents of which are spread on the table in front of him. "Hey, would you like some of my snacks? I packed too much and I have to leave some behind," he asks.
I look at the mound of Quest chocolate peanut butter cups and protein cookies. I try not to look too eager when I reply in the affirmative. My food bag just got a whole lot heavier!
I head up to bed in the dormitory of 10 twin xl beds laid out in the spacious room. Each bed has its own electrical outlet. This is so much nicer than bunks! The beds are memory foam and so comfortable!
Good night!
Today's Stats: 6 miles, 1168 feet gain
Trail Stats: 576 miles, 142K feet gain
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