Days 46/47 - Saturday/Sunday, April 10 & 11, 2021
Day 46 - Saturday was a “Zero” as it did rain but it began much later than forecasted. We probably could have got the hike in. This is the beauty of slack packing; being able to pick and choose when and where to hike 😏.
We took advantage of the R&R to run a few errands and to carb and protein up. And the day off provided me with a welcomed opportunity to rest my Achilles tendinitis - which is getting better 🥳.
Day 47 - Sunday was a late start as it rained very heavy during the night into the am. The news said we got over 2” of rain - this is another convenience of a slack packing thru-hiker 😊.
Today we are hiking from Sugar Run Gap, Sugar Run Road (625.4 NoBo) to VA 42/606 Kimberling Creek Trailhead (609.9 NoBo) equaling 15.5 miles.
We began hiking at 8:35 am under partly cloudy skies. The temperature was 54°. We are breaking 500 trail miles with today’s hike... 507.8 miles to be exact. We hope to surpass 600 trail miles by this weeks end 😊.
We very quickly encountered a lot of water on the trail All the streams were flooded; let’s just say trail conditions were not good 🥴.
Water running down the middle of the trail.
Suspension Bridge over Kimberling Creek.
We are starting to meet a lot of NoBo thru-hikers on the trail. This is “Rapture” (on left) & “Captain America”. They started at Springer Mountain on February 21st. I asked them if they were a father-son duo... they weren’t. Lol. “Rapture” said they are asked that a lot.
They said they heard of a couple Yanks slack packing SoBo... wonder who they were talking about 😂.
Views at Dismal Falls... we were told it’s “pretty” and worth the trip off the trail to see it? I didn’t feel it 🥴, but the raging water was worth the trip to see the falls. (A lot of scenic views are not directly on the trail and you have to hike off the trail to see them).
The trail was inundated with water. My Salomon hiking shoes have Gore-Tex and are supposed to be waterproof. My other pair of Salomon boots always kept my feet dry. After the 3rd time I stepped in about 2” of water, careful to never submerge my shoe, my right foot was completely saturated. I could feel water “gushing” inside my shoe as I walked 🤬. Up till today, these were my favorite hiking shoe to wear; but it was never wet before either. Salomon products are 100% money back guaranteed as I will be contacting them tomorrow. With that said, I’m hoping it will be a painless issue dealing with Salomon; staying optimistic 😎.
Entering a pine forest in the Thomas Jefferson National Forest... amazing views even when wet!
We met another pair of NoBo thru-hikers and today they were slack packing this section of trail. They are “Heater” (on left) & “Pizzacutter”. They started from Georgia February 25th. I didn’t ask “Heater” how she got her trail name; I’m too much a gentleman 😉.
View while taking lunch. I also changed my socks and let my shoes and feet dry while we ate.
Dismal Creek Campsite.
We finished hiking at 5:20 pm. It was actually a very pleasant day to hike with the exception of wet trail conditions.
The trail is starting to feel alive with all the hiker activity and meeting people from all over the country. We heard there is a couple thru-hikers from Australia on the trail. Then there is the infamous “Sunny” making his 3rd thru-hike and he will be the oldest person ever to complete a thru-hike as he is turning 82 while on the trail. We hope to run into him and hear some of his stories... and for the record, I have no desire to do a 2nd thru-hike. I’m focused on completing the one I’m on! But Jim has mentioned something about a Yo-Yo. I wish him well 🤪.
Till next time... Happy Hiking 🥾
😋
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