According to past thru-hikers, today's climb out of the NOC is one of the 7 hardest climbs of the entire trail. It absolutely lived up to legend.
I was thinking of taking a zero day at the NOC, but with the forecasted rain I decided to push on. Supposedly it rained pretty hard over night, but I slept right through it. The only evidence of bad storms I saw, was flooding all around my hammock site. Just another reason I'm glad to be hanging in the trees. As I was getting ready to get up it started raining again, so I layed in my hammock and read some of my book. Around 9, it finally quit and as I was heading to the bathroom, Advil invited me to breakfast. I dined with, Advil, Harry Potter, Kansas(older lady from Carey,NC), Bee man(commercial bee keeper), and TMI(a girl around my age). It was a fun breakfast. I'm finally starting to get an appetite. I had 3 eggs over easy, sausage, home style fries, a biscuit, and French toast. I ate almost all of it. As I arrived back at my campsite I was told repeatedly that I couldn't camp there. I apologized and told the guy that someone gave me permission. He just kept telling me I couldn't be there. Since I was packing up I couldn't see the big deal.
I hit the trail around 10:30, which is really late for me. I wasn't really looking forward to the extended climb and it started raining again as I set out. The first part of the climb didn't feel so bad. I was all jacked up from my big breakfast and feeling good. Then the 100% humidity kicked in. You would think being from Florida would be an advantage, but I don't respond well to it.
Once again, my promised "epic" views were sub par due to the rain.
All I've seen for days
I did come across a pretty cool memorial in the middle of nowhere. It's been there since 1968. Hikers leave a little something behind to pay tribute. I've been carrying a nickle around since my 3rd day, so I left it. The memorial was for a man named Sutton. He was a forestry service member who died fighting a fire.
If I wasn't climbing straight uphill, through the mud, I was going downhill across sketchy boulder fields.
I was trying for a big mile day, to put me closer to Fontana Dam, but the deck seemed to be stacked against me. Between the really late start and the quad--busting climbs, I didn't think I would hit my daily goal. It was the first time on the trail that I wouldn't hit a goal I'd set out for. I switched from listening to my audio book and put music on. I cranked out a very difficult 3.8 miles and hit my goal, but I broke one of my rules to do so. I have this silly rule about always stopping with 2 hours of daylight left. I didn't stop today until 45 minutes before dark. I barely had enough time to setup camp and cook dinner.
I ended up camping with 2 people I just met, another thing I don't like to do, but I feel reasonably safe. Boots and Wannabe are a father and son from New Hampshire. I've heard of them before, but we haven't crossed paths. They started 1 day after me and seem to crank out miles. We enjoyed a nice dinner around a roaring campfire that Wannabe(the dad) got going. It's pretty rare that thru-hikers take the time to start campfires, but I really appreciated it with the darkness closing in and camp chores still needing to be done.
Tomorrow should be another tough day. I get to start off climbing, Jacobs Ladder. A really hellacious climb of 600 feet over .6 miles, with no switchbacks. Sometimes I think the AT route planners are sadistic. Lots of times, we climb mountains only to go back down .1 miles from a summit. Or we climb a 1,000 feet only to drop down 1,500 feet only to immediately climb and 1,700 feet. I'm sure there is a reason for their madness, but I don't see it.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence,” Robert Frost
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. You can do this and learn what you're all about along the way. Mom LY
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