2018 AT – Day Fourteen – Up, Up, Up

Tuesday, 12 June – Up, Up, Up

Destination: Brown Fork Gap Shelter	Today’s Miles: 16.0
Start Location: NOC	Trip Miles: 161.5

Lee, Half Ration, came into the bunk house last night. I had met him at Cold Spring Shelter the night before. Just him and I in the bunk house. There were a couple of cabins for a youth group but it was quiet. Of course since I stayed in the bunk house, it did not rain. I did get some severe weather warnings about hail for sections of the trail further south.

I was out by seven since a had a long day starting with a long seven mile climb over 3,000 feet. I got most of the climb done while a little cooler in the morning. Did not see anyone all morning. I thought I would look like a cocoon from all the spider webs I walked through. The first one on the trail in the morning gets to clear the trail of spider webs.

I saw my first hiker just before a lunch break at Sassafras Gap Shelter. The afternoon was easier until the last two miles. before the shelter. I met a day hiker, Tom, at the road crossing before the shelter. There was a 600 foot climb over half a mile. It was warm and I was tired. I passed two groups of three guys heading to the shelter.

Got to the shelter and set up camp before getting water and cooking dinner. Tomorrow is a short thirteen miles without any big climbs to a shelter called the “Fontana Hilton”. You can have pizza delivered, there are flush toilets and showers. Life’s simple pleasures. Doesn’t look like rain tonight even though I’m tenting…