Sunday, 27 September

Destination: Cornelius Creek Shelter (766.6)	Today’s Miles: 8.5 (0.1)
Start Location: Harrison Ground Spring Campsite (775.1)	Trip Miles: 41.9 (0.5)

Numbers in parenthesis after Destination and Start Location are northbound mileage markers as listed in the 2019 Northbound A.T. Guide. Numbers in parenthesis after Today’s Miles and Trip Miles are off trail miles to shelters and campgrounds.

Trail names – Bob and I discussed my trail name of Happy Feet and his need of a trail name. It has been a while since I have had foot problems hiking so was thinking maybe a change was due. We talked about my being the early one on the trail and walking through spider webs. Bob anointed me Web Master. Since I also maintain this online journal along with the Lions Club website, it seems appropriate. Bob has been given the trail name Commando. He has had a little problem with chaffing. You have to ask him for details about his trail name.

With it being the weekend, we saw more hikers than usual. We passed two college age women backpacking north. Later we meet a family with about a four year old son. They were hiking fourteen miles today. They are planning to hike the whole 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail next year with their son. We also ran into a trail maintainer who is president of the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club. About seventy and quite the interesting character. His section of the trail was the best maintained that we have seen. There was the usual assortment of other day hikers.

We had lunch at Apple Orchard Mountain near an FAA tower. The altitude was 4,225 feet, our highest point on this trip. I told Bob the next forty miles were downhill. Of course to get there we had to climb 900 feet in the morning.

Before reaching the tower, we went through a rock formation called The Guillotine. Use your imagination and check the photos.

Tonight we are at Cornelius Creek Shelter. In a little early and still drying things out from tropical storm Beta. Decided to stay in the shelter so we can get an early start tomorrow since we hit a campground for resupply. Weather was about perfect today. Could have been a little cooler for sleeping but it was dry. Some sun and about sixty five today. So far, no one else at the shelter tonight. After dinner, we plan to build our first campfire.