Deer Along the Trail
Starting mile 658.2
I got going by 7:30 this morning after a great night’s sleep along Dismal Branch. I love sleeping next to rushing water. I started down the trail which follows the creek for over a mile. I wish I had gone a little further yesterday because there were a lot of great hammock hanging sites along creek.
I crossed Big Stony Creek Road and then started my first big climb of the day. Once again today was going to consist of a big climb then a long ridge walk. I made it to the top and took a quick break at Bailey Gap Shelter for second breakfast and a visit to the privy. Then it was time to get back on the trail.
A few miles down the trail I crossed a road and came to Wind Rock. From here I had a classic AT view of the Allegheny Mountains and West Virginia. Here I met a couple of people heading south. They let me know that water was going to be scarce for the next little bit. It was nice to get some information on what is to come.
After my break I started north again. I still had several miles on the ridge before heading down to the War Spur Shelter and my next good water source. When I got there, I had a snack and refilled my water. Like I usually do, I drank a liter of water while I was filtering water. Then it was time to get my last climb done for the day.
I had an 1,800 foot climb up to Kelly’s Knob. This was going to be my biggest climb in a while. By this point in the day, I was getting tired. I wouldn’t have minded calling it a day here, but I knew I needed to get further. They were calling for rain tonight into tomorrow afternoon. I finally made it up to Kelly’s Knob and went to check it out. I was very disappointed; the trees were too tall and blocked most of the view.
The one good thing about Kelly’s Knob was that I finally had cell service and could call my mom for Mother’s Day. It was nice to talk to her and my grandma. I was also able to get an updated forecast. It didn’t look good for tomorrow.
After talking to my mom, I headed down the mountain and made it to Laurel Creek Shelter where I stopped for the night. No one else was there so I got some water and made some dinner. Then I went and set up my hammock. No one had shown up yet, so I climbed into my hammock. I was surprised to have the whole shelter area to myself.
I only did 17.8 miles today, but it had 4,700 feet of elevation gain. This was more gain per mile than I’ve done in a while.
Ending mile 676
Comments
2 responses
Glad you were able to talk to your Mom😉
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