Not much to report on the day other than that it was very long. The five guys sleeping in the shelter were pretty eager to get started while I was still eating my breakfast. Shortly after they left a downpour started that lasted maybe 20 minutes. I finished eating, tidied and packed, then waited out the deluge. By the time I left there was just a light shower.
I walked 20 miles to make sure I would be able to reach a resupply on Day 8.
There was a very long climb to some first spectacular views of the day around 4pm *too foggy before that). I called Sheila from the foot of a fire tower around 6 but was too exhausted to climb it. Got to shelter at 7:30. There were three younger guys talking about tomorrow’s plans, and a woman tidying up her stuff, but not much conversation. While my supper cooked I went to hang my food bag. Since NC shelters don’t seem to provide bear cables or bearproof boxes it’s a fair bit of work to find the right branch and get a rope over it.
There were no tent sites by the shelter, and I thought I saw a sort of okay site near where I hung the food, so after eating I dragged all my gear up the hill and put my tent up in the dark. I could tell the ground was a bit slanted but didn’t realize how badly until I climbed into my sleeping bag and immediately started sliding off the mattress. Realizing I wouldn’t be able to sleep this way, I got dressed, and spent 10 minutes pivoting the tent a quarter turn. That way I could slide down feet first instead of sideways. I stuck my clothes bag under the mattress at my knees to serve as a kind of brake against slipping. That sort of worked but the slope was uncomfortable and made sleeping very difficult. I was also quite sore from the excessive walking.
Lesson learned: arrive at camp by 6 to give myself enough time to set up while it’s still light, and hopefully connect with others there. Pulling in at 7:30 when others are about to go to bed is neither fun nor all that safe. Gotta start adjusting to the time change and getting up earlier.