Starting Mile 808.1
I got moving a little slower this morning but still made it on trail by 6:15 and beat Shaggy out. The trail started with a gentle climb along the Brown Mountain Creek. Once again I found several great campsites along the trail. I could have made another mile or so yesterday cutting off that mile from today. The trail made a right hand turn off the creek and made its way up to US 60 where it started to get much steeper as I made my way up to Bald Knob. I took a little break after climbing another 500 feet of gain. This is where I had hoped to make it last night.
When I was eating my second breakfast Shaggy passed me. He told me he was trying to reach the Harpers Creek Shelter today. I said goodbye to him assuming I wouldn’t see him again. After finishing my breakfast I took off up the trail again. I still had another 2000 feet of elevation gain to get up to Tar Jacket Ridge. Today’s climbing, while just as high as yesterday’s, was a lot easier. There were more switchbacks and a more gradual grade. I made it up and over Bald Knob and Cole Mountain in about 3 hours, then it was mainly down hill to Hog Camp Gap and some water.
The water at Hog Camp Gap was about a quarter of a mile off trail so I dropped my pack next to a tree and headed down with all my water capacity. When I got to the water I filtered water into my water bottles then filled up my water bladder. When I got back to my pack I made some Liquid IV in my liter bottle and drank that down as I ate some food. When I was done with that bottle I refilled it and took off down the trail.
Tar Jacket Ridge is a great ridge walk with little ups and downs. It was some nice easy hiking. I wish more of my hiking was like this. I made it the 8 or so miles to the Seeley Woodworth Shelter by just after 2. I was going to take a couple hour break here during the hottest part of the day. When I got to the shelter there were a couple trail maintainers out weed whacking around the shelter. I talked to them for a while because one of the main things I end up doing when I do trail work is weed whacking the trail.
They took off and I went to set up my hammock to lay in for the next hour or so. I relaxed in my hammock and continued listening to Dan Carlin’s World War I podcast. A little before 4 I noticed some movement in the weeds by where I had my hammock. Out of the weeds comes a rattlesnake. It was headed around me so I didn’t worry about it, but then it made a turn and headed straight toward me. I jumped out of my hammock and moved away. This rattlesnake went right under my hammock and back into the woods. That is when I decided it was time to get going, so I took everything down and headed down the trail.
My plan was to get to Spy Rock which had a nice place to camp. This was about 3 miles away, if I got there and felt like I could move on it was another 3 miles to the Priest Shelter. Leaving the shelter the trail was headed mostly downhill before a little climb up to Spy Rock. I got there just before 5, after taking a few minute break I decided that I was going to push on to the Priest.
Leaving Spy Rock the trail started heading up again as I climbed up to the Priest. I passed the turnoff for Crabtree Falls and knew I only had the climb up to the shelter left. I was getting tired but pushed on. I ended up making it to the Priest about 6:45 and found that I was going to have it to myself. I made my dinner and then retreated to my hammock for the night. Tomorrow was going to be another early morning because I had another 3000 foot climb after descending 3000 feet from the Priest down to the Tye River.
I ended up doing 22.4 miles with a record 6500 feet of elevation gain. I was tired tonight.
Ending mile 830.5