Chase and Moron
I had an amazing number of very bizarre dreams, probably because I was just a little warmer than I needed to be. In any case, I slept very well.
I woke at about 7:45, which is 6:45 old time. I put away all my gear inside the tent so that by the time I came out I was ready to simply fold it up, go find my food in the bear box, and make breakfast. I left the campsite at 8:45, before Chase was even out of his tent.
We had both agreed to continue on to Muskrat Creek Shelter, across the border in North Carolina. I was expecting him to pass me sometime in the morning, but as it turns out he didn’t reach me until mid-afternoon.
It was foggy at first but not raining, so I didn’t need a rain jacket. Eventually the fog cleared and there were some beautiful views. You could see far, far away: many layers of mountains, each one increasingly bluish gray.
It was a bit of a slog, with some pretty steep uphill sections. I did run into a few people. I think I passed probably eight or nine thru-hikers, including a man, woman, and daughter. The husband and wife were doing the trip for the second time, and the daughter was joining them this time around. She was probably about twenty. I also passed a man and his son hiking with another man they had apparently just befriended along the trail.
Muskrat Creek Shelter seems to have quite a few people around tonight. I would guess there are something like fifteen people scattered around in tents nearby. There is no bear box or bear cables, which means I had to do a PCT-style hang. Luckily I found a branch close to the shelter and did it there.
The shelter itself is very small; it really only has room for four people. Five men my age decided to sleep there tonight. I’m glad I’m not one of them, as I can imagine it’s very cramped and the snoring is going to be really loud.
I went out on the ridge just after sunset to finish off my dinner of refried beans and burritos. It was absolutely delicious. I talked to my parents, Sheila, Mildred, and Josh on a group call, and then called Evelyn. Now I’m just wrapping up the night with a bit of reading, waiting for my hearing aids to charge. Then I’m off to bed, probably around 9:00 p.m.