Appalachian Trail Day 46 - Saunders Shelter to Lost Mountain Shelter - Howling Wind, Driving Rain, and Yipping Coyotes! (Mile 480.5 to Mile 487)

 We went to bed so early last night that I found myself wide awake at 3 am. The wind picked up and the noise must have awakened me.  I lost my earplugs in my bedding last night; I frequently pull them out in my sleep and then have to hunt for them later.   I burrow into my downy warmness to read for a while, then fall back asleep.  Anticipating single-digit temps at night, I brought down pants in addition to my Feathered Friends down booties and a down coat, and I am happy to report that this should be sufficient to keep my warm during this section. I woke up just in time to watch the sun peek over the ridge and through the trees.  GG is up already as evident by the glow from her headlamp illuminating the inside of her tent. 

Camping behind Saunders Shelter

Appalachian Trail Day 45 - Damascus to Saunders Shelter - Back on the Trail! ( Mile 471 to Mile 480.5)

GG and I came back to the trail after a long hiatus: it's been nine long months since we were last in Damascus. We arrived in town yesterday evening. We are staying at the iconic Broken Fiddle which just opened for the season last week. We checked in to discover that we are sharing the hostel with a thru hiker who started in January! He is thru-hiker number 38 (all the thru-hikers receive a tag with their trail number on it when they start in Georgia).

Appalachian Trail Day 44 - Campsite to Damascus, VA - 3 Down, 11 To Go (Mile 464 to Mile 471)

We were all up by 7 am.   I had bizarre dreams about being trapped at work that were so strange, I am thankful I can get up and so I can stop dreaming this nonsense.  The temperature last night was almost too warm for sleeping comfortably and I had to kick off my top quilt several times. Were I not going home, I would send back either my sleeping pad or my underquilt after the Grayson Highlands just north of Damascus. Most hikers send back their colder weather gear before Damascus, but I have hiked enough to know that the Highlands can be brutally cold.  

The sun is shining as we break down camp, and a steady 15 mph breeze makes me shiver and pile on the layers up here on the ridge. I welcome the stiff wind since biting flies won't be able to dive-bomb me today.  I am scratching furiously because I was bombarded last night by black flies.  First, they attacked the back of my legs, face, and neck once we arrived in camp, then, once I donned my leggings they zeroed in on my ankles, on the small bit of skin showing between my socks and my leggings.  I also have several bites on the inside of my wrist, on the area between my long sleeves and fingerless gloves. I rarely feel the suckers when they bite, but the next morning the itching is enough to drive me mad.  I just have to make it to town, where I can buy some calamine lotion.  For now, I grind up some aspirin and apply it topically, which provides a little relief. 

Appalachian Trail Day 43 - Double Spring Shelter to Campsite - Very Beary (Mile 452.5 to Mile 464)

 I slept fitfully last night, probably because I kept having dreams of something crashing on top of me while in my hammock.  I was surprisingly comfortable with my legs elevated.  My legs feel better from it this morning: the dependent edema from hiking is a constant out here.   For the last hour of sleep, every time I would think I needed to get up I would close my eyes and go back into a dream.  GG wakes me up by asking me to come get the food bag out of the tree, because it's stuck.  I ask if there is anyone awake at the shelter who can help, because I'm not ready to get up. She replies they are still sleeping, so I roll out of my hammock and rub the sleep from my eyes. 

Appalachian Trail Day 42 - Ridgetop Campsite to Double Spring Shelter - Hello Friend! (Mile 441.5 to Mile 452.5)

We had an uneventful night last night, thank goodness!  No bears in camp, and our food remained unmolested.  I woke briefly to realize the foot end of my hammock was hung a smidge too low and as a result, my body slid enough for my feet to be touching the end of the hammock.  I briefly thought to myself "I should get up and fix this," but rolled over and went straight back to sleep.  And I slept so well.  The temperature is about 50 degrees on the ridge with no wind. 

GG is already up and packed and enjoying breakfast while I get my life together.  Thankfully we have nowhere to be and nothing to do but hike.  We have no agenda: we will decide where to stop when we feel like stopping.  Total and utter freedom. 

We collect extra water since the next two water sources are described in app as "take a 200-foot side trail to a water source."  That is code for "you will have to walk a hell of a long ways down off the trail and then hike back up with your heavy water bladder."  

Appalachian Trail Day 41 - Boots Off Hostel to Campsite - Bears and Butterflies (Mile 429 to Mile 442)

 I want to practice some self-love this morning and give a big shout out to my feet.  And my knees.  And my hips.  My hands for holding my hiking poles.  And my shoulders and back for holding my pack.  Looking at my Fitbit, I realize I have walked one-half million steps the last two weeks. 

We weigh our packs on the scale on the deck.  No way in Hell is GG's pack lighter than mine!  I am really in shock. Even with her fanny pack and all that stuff hanging off her pack, hers is lighter.  I am very happy for her for finally paring down some of her weight, but how did mine get heavier?  The cheese and extra water can't wait this much.  GG gloats as we hoist our packs.  

Appalachian Trail Day 40 - Laurel Falls Stealth Site to Boots Off Hostel and Amazing Outdoor Showers (Mile 422 to Mile 429)

 Good morning!  Last night was THE best night of sleep yet this trip!  The temperature is perfect for sleeping outside, and the stream provided the best white noise.  The second my head hit the pillow I was out, and I don't think I moved at all last night until 6 am when I woke to water the leaves.  I was surprised to find GG still asleep in her tent, so went back to bed and didn't wake again until 7:30.  

We have options for our hike today: Plan A, which is hike 16 miles and 4500 feet to the next shelter, or Plan B, which is hike 7 miles and 2,000 feet to Boots Off Hostel at Watauga Lake. We weren't planning on stopping again so soon after leaving the last hostel, but we are a day ahead of schedule, plus Kodiak is planning on staying there.  The comments on Far Out about Boots Off Hostel are overwhelmingly positive. The hostel is purported to have the hottest outdoor shower of the trail, and I am a sucker for a good outdoor shower. So, Plan B it is!