Cold and Rain on Easter Sunday (Day 5)

I woke up in the hostel after my worst night’s sleep on the trail. I told one of the other hikers and he said I must be in the woods if I sleep better in my tent than in a warm bed. I had some instant coffee in the lodge kitchen and bought two string cheeses and two Snickers from Mountain Crossings for breakfast.

Magic of the Christmas Trail

I decided that today would be my highest mileage day yet and that I would camp at Low Gap Shelter, 11.7 miles from Neel Gap. The day started with clouds and pouring rain, and I quickly hiked to Tesnatee Gap, where we were treated to trail magic! A group of trail angels had prepared a large Easter lunch for the hikers, filled with desserts, candy, coffee, hot food, fruits and vegetables, and more. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to eat much of the food, but I did eat a small plate while sitting under a tent, sheltered from the rain.

The great drying

I decided not to stay too long because I was soaked and starting to get very cold from sitting still. I thanked the trail angels for their generosity and headed toward the trail. I was one of the first to arrive at camp today, but was greeted by some hikers who had stayed at Low Gap the night before and were taking a zero day because their gear had gotten soaked in the rain overnight. I claimed my spot at the shelter and relaxed a bit as other hikers arrived.

Not much happened at camp tonight because everyone was so focused on drying their clothes and equipment. The day turned sunny and somewhat warm around 3 pm, so we’re hoping our stuff will be mostly dry by morning. Many of the hikers were too full from the magic of the previous trail to have dinner, but we still sat around the picnic table chatting and laughing while some people cooked.

First cold night

Tonight I’m going to sleep for the first time in a complete shelter. The temperature has dropped and I’m hoping the collective body heat will help keep me a little warmer tonight. As we were getting into our sleeping bags, we noticed that another hiker had left some candy on the picnic table next to the shelter. Everyone had already hung up their bear bags. Someone offered to eat it all so we didn’t have to get up. Another night on the AT.

Injury Tracker

My right Achilles tendon is still sore, but I felt pretty good during the longest day of hiking so far!

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