No bears tonight! In fact, I slept pretty well. Although the rain hasn’t stopped. It’s hard to leave my tent, even harder to get back into wet clothes.
Poplar Stamp Gap Tent Pitch
Once outside the tent, the rain wasn’t as hard. In a tent it always sounds much worse than it is.
Once I packed up, a small salamander (I think) ran over to where my tent was. I think the little guy just wanted to get out of the rain and feel some dry land for a change. I even ran under my dad’s poncho to cover myself a little.
Our little friend
Trying to solve foot problems
My cardio, muscles, and joints are working fantastically, but the health of my feet is a constant concern on the AT. It’s my Achilles heel. When I feel a hot spot, I stop immediately to record it. When they get wet, I wash them and dry them afterwards. After this and a good night’s sleep, my feet are usually fine in the morning.
However, after all my care, one problem doesn’t seem to fix itself. They are my little toes. They tend to get under the other finger when taking a step. This has left them quite sore. It’s something I’ve experienced before.
I have to figure this out. I’m thinking maybe some Injinji socks might help. When I get the chance I’ll buy a couple of those.
Hiking in
Today started out very cloudy. And even after it cleared, there were no spectacular views or refreshing landscapes. But that’s okay. Not every day can be stimulating.
I felt quite tired and lacked energy. I was moving forward today. Even our lunch break didn’t help. I think I just need to sleep a little more.
At the Unicoi gap we rested a little. We saw some familiar faces including Ferdinand and Tags. We met them at Mountain Crossing. Ferdinand had an ice pack on his knee then, I’m glad he’s okay now! He’s a pretty funny guy with a great sense of humor. He always lifts our spirits when we meet him. They’re hitchhiking to Hiawassee, we’re going a little further up to the Rock Mountain tent site.
After resting this time and chatting with Ferdinand a bit, today I felt full of energy for the first time! Is this the power of friendship? It could have been the caffeine in my drink mix, but I like to believe it’s the former.
Have our plans destroyed
We walked up Rock Mountain towards the store site. My dad had already imagined himself sitting in his chair, contemplating the landscape and doing nothing for an hour. But not today…
When we arrived at the store site, it was full of trash and discarded food. This was definitely caused by the hikers, because they left a jar of peanut butter and a package of tortillas.
In addition to it being very annoying when people leave their trash and food, it also makes camping unsafe for us. Food attracts bears and we don’t have enough room in our bear bags.
So we can’t do anything but keep walking. To the person who made this: I hope your thighs are irritated.
Garbage and food abandoned on Rock Mountain
Next stop: Cheese Factory tent site, 2.3 miles ahead. This was a great place. The sun was still shining, making the whole place seem very serene. I could really relax here. I don’t think it will be long before it falls to the ground… ZZZzzzz…
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!
For more information, visit the About page of this site.
