May 10, 2015

Mothers day — I have had the pleasure in my life to be raised by a firm and loving mother. She encouraged me through the toughest of times and taught me how to be a man. I am grateful for all of the wonderful women who have helped me become the man I am today. I’m glad my mother and father have been supportive of this trip. Their encouragement helps keep me going.

Today we climbed out of Davenport gap. The trail goes under I-40 and  climbs up the mountain at a steady pace. Its about 3000ft to the top. Near the top we decided we were done for the day. Using our tent \ hammock setups for the first time this trip. The heat plus humidity is exhausting.

That morning we got up real early to beat the heat. We hiked till around 4 pm crossing Max Patch bald. Balds are a naturally occurring phenomenon in the Appalachians where no trees grow. Y’all should look them up on Wikipedia here since I don’t wanna give a history or ecology lesson. Regardless, the scenery was stunning. We crossed the bald and got to a shelter minutes before a thunderstorm threw hail and rain at the unprotected hikers. Thankfully we have been very fortunate to dodge the rain for most our trip.

The next morning we left before light. We hiked in the dark for an hour or so to get the big climb out of the way before the heat of midday. The trail was stunning. We ascended into a cloud hiking in the mist for several hours. Rain fell as we Arrived at a shelter for breakfast. Again keeping up our luck with dodging the rain. We hiked 15 miles our longest day yet.

Next morning we hiked a short 3 miles into Hot Springs, NC. We are taking 2 full days off and receiving resupplies. Its a nice little town and we a grateful for a shower, laundry, and a bed.

#happytrails