I awoke in a haze, quite literally. Hiking in a cloud has both pros and cons. It keeps you cool and keeps the insects at bay, however it makes the grass wet which quickly soaks through shoes.
Stumble left before me, but I was the next to head out. Unfortunately it wasn't until 9:15am until that happened. It was 12 miles to the next shelter, so I took an early lunch at a campsite, trying to unload some food weight in my pack by stuffing my face. It's a strange thing when you're eating to lose weight.
I came across a bear cub in the middle of the trail a few miles past my 1st lunch. The baby bear, like the baby deer, didn't know to be afraid of me. It just stared at me as I clacked my trekking poles together and whistled. Stupid bear. Eventually it wandered off, and I cautiously continued on, making sure the mother wasn't hiding somewhere that I was getting between her and her cub.
Back on the hike, I walked by some fascinating stone structures jutting out of the ground. Mr. Fantastic later described them as looking like cube shaped rocks that punched their way out of the ground.
When I finally made it to the shelter for my second lunch, and planned nap, I was dejected to realize I'd be joined by 3 section hikers. They were nice people, but couldn't stop talking to me. I was there to stuff my face and recharge, not have long conversations. As soon as I ate enough to get me up the climb that was ahead I shouldered my pack and said my farewells.
Shortly down the path I came across the little zip line that crossed the river to Captain's place. That's where the annual Hiker Feed takes place, but we missed it this year, so I continued upward.
The climb was steep, sweaty, and buggy, but thankfully short. I did see another bear before my day was over. This one thankfully knew well enough to run away when I got near. I picked up some water off a side trail and hobbled my way up to the shelter.
Upon arriving I met up with Stickness, whom I hadn't seen since Gatlinburg, and met Chainsaw and FedEx, who Stickness was hiking with lately. Speedbump joined us all for dinner shortly before Mr. Fantastic arrived. It's a nice group of hikers at the shelter tonight, which is always a plus. As I wandered away to make water I came across an amazing tree that had seemingly grown through a boulder, splitting it in the process. Interesting finds like that can make a whole days efforts worthwhile.
Now, as the day winds down, we look ahead to tomorrow and plan for the resupply. It's 17 miles into town, so we have to get there early enough to resupply at the supermarket before they close. Then we hope to find a dirt cheap room to get some shut eye in. It's a good day that ends with a dinner I don't have to prepare!
