We were the first ones up again. We wanted to get an early start as there were more warnings of rain or thunderstorms coming. It was overcast and a little cold. Our first climb was called Cowrock Mountain. I wondered briefly why they had named the mountain so strangely - I saw no rocks that looked like cows or like cows would have anything to do with them.
After the seemingly misnamed Cowrock Mountain, I could only hope that the next peak (Wildcat Mountain) would also fail to live up to its name. The climb was brutal, an 18% grade. As usual, I quickly fell behind Chuck and was getting passed by everyone we'd camped with the night before. But, I was determined not to let this bother me today. "I think I can, I think I can..."
When I reached the top, Chuck was patiently waiting for me. He was talking with a young man who'd passed me not long before. Wombat had finished high school in January (he was home-schooled) and now he was following a dream to hike the Appalachian Trail before starting college in the fall. He had so much energy and was going fast (he'd started only a couple of days before). He seemed like a nice kid, one his parents should be very proud of.
We seemed to be making good time today, despite the hard climb, and so we decided to take a little mini-siesta once we passed Hogpen Gap. We found a nice spot and quickly took the weight off our backs (and feet). Chuck decided lunch would be cream cheese and pink salmon. Not my idea of "yum" but he seemed to enjoy it.
I had a less interesting lunch of bars and a little Babybel cheese. Mostly I just wanted to enjoy the feel of the sun (which had finally decided to make an appearance) on my face as I lay on my back in a pile of leaves. It was glorious!
All along our walk, we've seen interestingly shaped trees and vines - funny lumps and bumps,strange twisty vines reaching up to very high branches. This section of the trail seemed to have a lot of unique sights. How do they grow that way? Is it some kind of disease or just a weird mutation?
The trail seemed to be easing up on us, and we meandered our way down to the Low Gap Shelter around 3:30 in the afternoon. There were already quite a few people in the shelter and more camping in the area. We weren't really ready to call it a day, but we thought a break could be a good idea. So we decided we'd stock up on water and have an early dinner before we put in another couple of hours. We found a spot near the source of a stream that ran down to the shelter and spread out for an extended break.
On our way down to the shelter we had encountered a man in his early 60s who was really struggling and clearly suffering. He had been wanting to do the hike for a long time, but he'd also had a couple of bypass surgeries in the past couple of years. He just didn't seem to be up to the challenges the trail was throwing him. It had taken away his appetite, and he looked exhausted. While we were taking our break, he decided he was done and made arrangements to be picked up in the next town in a couple of days. He was so defeated. Chuck had tried to encourage him to take a day off to see how he felt, but you could tell the man was just done. I felt sad for him and grateful that I wasn't being forced off the trail by my own body. The more time I spend on this trail, the more I don't want to leave it in a few days.
As we finished our break, the hordes started to descend on Low Gap Shelter. Every few minutes more and more hikers were arriving. There were already at least 30 people and more were reportedly on the way. Chuck and I decided it was probably time for us to escape!
Once again, the trail was literally peppered with springs and little waterfalls. Chuck and I both love nature's "water features" and these were all worthy of adoration. When we reached a waterfall with a little pool at the base, we decided it was time to be nice to our feet for a change. We sat by the pool and soaked our feet. The water was very, very chilly, but it felt wonderful. We kept our feet submerged as long as we could stand.
It would have been great to camp right there, but there was no spot. So, on we went. The trail was lovely - we were surrounded by trees with leaves. I couldn't ask for more (except maybe someone to massage my feet).
We finally settled for the night at Red Clay Gap. We'd walked 12.9 miles, our biggest day so far. Although most of the day had been warm and sunny, we knew rain was coming. We found a spot we hoped would keep us sheltered from the brunt of the storm and settled in for the night.
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| No cows in sight on Cowrock |
When I reached the top, Chuck was patiently waiting for me. He was talking with a young man who'd passed me not long before. Wombat had finished high school in January (he was home-schooled) and now he was following a dream to hike the Appalachian Trail before starting college in the fall. He had so much energy and was going fast (he'd started only a couple of days before). He seemed like a nice kid, one his parents should be very proud of.
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| Amazing views! |
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| Tasty? |
All along our walk, we've seen interestingly shaped trees and vines - funny lumps and bumps,strange twisty vines reaching up to very high branches. This section of the trail seemed to have a lot of unique sights. How do they grow that way? Is it some kind of disease or just a weird mutation?
 |
| The bumpiest tree I've seen so far |
The trail seemed to be easing up on us, and we meandered our way down to the Low Gap Shelter around 3:30 in the afternoon. There were already quite a few people in the shelter and more camping in the area. We weren't really ready to call it a day, but we thought a break could be a good idea. So we decided we'd stock up on water and have an early dinner before we put in another couple of hours. We found a spot near the source of a stream that ran down to the shelter and spread out for an extended break.
As we finished our break, the hordes started to descend on Low Gap Shelter. Every few minutes more and more hikers were arriving. There were already at least 30 people and more were reportedly on the way. Chuck and I decided it was probably time for us to escape!
Once again, the trail was literally peppered with springs and little waterfalls. Chuck and I both love nature's "water features" and these were all worthy of adoration. When we reached a waterfall with a little pool at the base, we decided it was time to be nice to our feet for a change. We sat by the pool and soaked our feet. The water was very, very chilly, but it felt wonderful. We kept our feet submerged as long as we could stand.
It would have been great to camp right there, but there was no spot. So, on we went. The trail was lovely - we were surrounded by trees with leaves. I couldn't ask for more (except maybe someone to massage my feet).
We finally settled for the night at Red Clay Gap. We'd walked 12.9 miles, our biggest day so far. Although most of the day had been warm and sunny, we knew rain was coming. We found a spot we hoped would keep us sheltered from the brunt of the storm and settled in for the night.
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