Fog, waterfalls and the road to Gooch Mountain

We woke up to a constant drizzle. The air was cool and humid. The kind that chills you to the bone after a warm night in your tent.

Finally, after a late start due to needing to finish my blog from yesterday, we started walking around 10am.

It wasn’t long before the heavy air began to cling to my skin. It was going to be a humid day once the sun broke through the clouds.

The valley along Stovers Creek began to take on a mystical appearance. Fog hung around the trees and the light rain muted the natural environment of the forest. I remembered a place I had never been but loved reading about: the Amazon rainforest. Dense fog, lush green foliage, small waterfalls whispering in a flowing stream.

Later in the morning we came to a fork in the road. Left took us to Long Creek Falls, and straight ahead we continued along the AT. We took the left and walked a few hundred meters to the falls.

The roar of the water reached us before we even saw it.

One last turn and there they were. Water running over emerald green moss and dark gray stone.

I truly believe that if you don’t stop to appreciate the beauty on and off the trail, your experience with a thru hike or LASH (Long Ass Section Hike) would be much less enjoyable.

Finally we left the falls and continued our ascent.

About two-tenths of a mile later we ran into an older hiker named Stacy. Honestly, my heart broke for her.

He was running shorter miles to allow his body to adapt and was fighting loneliness. He talked about how much he would love to find people who did similar miles and walk with them.

I realized I wanted company. Our company.

But unfortunately we couldn’t stay with her.

We left her with a reminder that she would find her trail family and keep walking.

Continuing north, we finally meet Justin. We had met him briefly before at Springer. I was hiking with a group of friends, all firefighters from Florida.

We passed him quickly and caught up with Shaggy.

He has a quiet confidence in him. Camps quickly, leaves early and moves quietly. My gut tells me it will make Katahdin okay.

My feet had started hurting again earlier than yesterday. I am aware of the exhaustion of my ankle. The more tired you get, the more likely you are to roll it.

There will be plenty of time to do longer miles later on the trail tsn4.

So we made the decision to stop just before Hawk Mountain Shelter to fill up our bottles.

While we filtered water and had some snacks, Billy came over to us and sat down. He is doing a section walk during the week.

I immediately connected with him.

We talked about his time as a strength and conditioning teacher. You could really feel his passion for young people in his words.

He mentioned that he had his Bible with him and that sparked a conversation about faith. She talked about her divorce and how she found Christ after the separation. I empathized with his story and reflected parts of mine to him.

He strongly encouraged us to continue traveling and to truly live rather than just survive.

Finally, we all packed up and moved on. I hope we cross paths again before he goes off the rails. It was a pleasure talking with him.

It’s these types of connections that drew me to the path, along with the personal growth and clarity I seek here.

So far, the trail has provided exactly that.

Hiking after Hawk Mountain was difficult for me. The constant nights of restless sleep before starting were starting to take their toll on my mind.

I put on headphones and played music to distract myself from the tiredness and pain in my feet.

The trail wound along the middle section of the mountains and honestly, it got a little blurry. It was still stick season and everything looked gray and washed out. Ridges and valleys began to intertwine in my mind.

Anyway, we kept going and eventually reached the base of a steep climb at Horse Gap.

As we ascended, I took the opportunity to look around as we climbed. The appreciation I have for this world and the way each mountain and valley is formed seems endless.

Having the opportunity to fully appreciate it like this is incredible.

We passed the rest of the fire squad, Jesus and John, and planned to stop at the view for lunch halfway up the mountain.

We left all our wet equipment and got ready to have lunch.

The rest of the J Crew (John, Justin, and Jesus) came into view shortly after. Hearing them laugh and get upset reminded me of my own friends back home.

I’ll see them again eventually.

But damn, I miss them.

After finishing lunch, we packed up our mostly dry belongings and continued walking.

The last stretch of the day was a mix of gray ridges, brown pine needles, deep green bushes, and sore feet.

Finally, we FINALLY arrived at the Gooch Mountain Shelter.

Laughter filled the air and I was more than happy to call it a day.

The shelter and campsites were full when we arrived. There were probably twenty hikers when we arrived.

Chilly and I found a somewhat flat spot with two other hikers, Bri and Scott.

We follow our routine. I filled water, she set up the tents and before long we were cooking dinner.

Shortly after eating, we had the opportunity to speak with Bri. She is a native Australian and lives in such a beautiful part of Australia.

He talked about his experiences with the Aboriginal tribes there and how diverse and beautiful the culture is. Bri explained how family dynamics work and the way they honor traditions and pass down generational knowledge.

It was a beautiful opportunity to allow him to share his passion for tribes and his homeland.

We promised that when we visit her country, she will definitely be our point of contact.

The sun began to set and the valley lit up with tents. Laughter and screams reached us from the shelter.

A sea of ​​colorful tents filled the ground and reminded me of a small town.

Each of us is here to discover something different.

Experiencing this world in a way that many people never get to experience.

After finally finishing our tasks, we headed to our tents, grateful to be able to get up and prepare for the next day.

Mountain of blood tomorrow.

But for now,

we sleep