My phone alarm woke me at 6:30. It had been a good night’s sleep. Noy too cold. There was enough light to pack up sleeping bag, mattress etc. I had tied the bear hang knots as slip knots so didn’t have to worry so much about frozen fingers. Dragonball and Squid were up after me but left before me. Somehow it still took me 1h50m from waking up to leaving camp.
I passed the above plaque early in the day. Weather was fine, probably 6C to start, but slowly warmed to 23C, sunny all day.
I kept passing and being passed by Dragonball and Squid. At one point they found me on the ground looking at a large black millipede. They asked me my trailname and I said Batman, and reminded them that my real name is Robin. That’s weird, Dragonball said, we met a Robin just up the trail, about your age. I reminded them that we had vamped together. Turns out I look different in my black sunhat than in my rainbow fleece. But also Dragonball and Squid do a lot of weed (they were puffing on a bong as they left our campsite).
Many amazing views, although most of them were through at least some tree branches. I can imagine that once the leaves are fully open there won’t be nearly as many great views, but for now I am soaking it in.
This is Sweet Betsy. It’s in the genus trillium but doesn’t grow in Canada.
One of the joys of hiking today was how many tiger swallowtail butterflies there were, especially up on the ridges where it’s not too high. The yellow and black variants are the same species.
Around 4pm I got to Stecoah Gap, where there is a spring 500 ft from the trsil. I was parched. Unfortunately a big construction project was underway and the spring was inaccessible. Squid (who was sitting at a picnic table sipping a beer) said there was a spring two miles north and a 1000 foot climb. So another hour of being parched. I drank over a liter of water at the sprong!
Cody Gap has a spring 500 feet downhill from the trail. I camped up top. Tori is just a stone’s throw up from me and Atlas, who arrived late, is here too. A few others are camped by the spring.
Dinner was coconut lentil curry. I soaked way too many lentils so woll probably have curry tomorrow too.
Mile 139.7 to 156.2 = 16.5 miles. Respectable.