First day of 20 miles (day 50)

I woke up today knowing I would probably be walking 20 miles. From where I stayed last night, there were very few shelters or campsites listed on the map. I would have to take a very short day or hike the 20.1 miles to Jenkins Shelter.

The rise

Of all the days to strive for higher mileage, today may not have been the best choice. We had almost 5,000 feet of climbing ahead of us, with a big climb near the beginning of the day. Chestnut Knob and its corresponding shelter were at the top of a 5-mile-long climb with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. It was a tough road, but walking through the Mountain Laurels tunnels helped a little. The view was nice from the top and I checked out the shelter. It used to be a firefighter’s cabin, so it’s one of the few enclosed shelters I’ve seen.

After leaving Chestnut Knob, we spent the next 8 miles hiking along the ridge. It was supposed to rain all day, but luckily the weather turned out to be beautiful. I later learned that this ridge is actually the edge of Burke’s Garden, a bowl-shaped valley formed by the collapse of the mountain top on itself. The climb up there was slow, following the narrow and rocky path. I also carried a lot of water, since today there were almost 10 miles between sources.

The last moment

By the last 4.5 miles of the day, my feet were hurting. Luckily, a kind angel had left a water tank at the road junction, so it was one less thing to worry about. It was still a struggle to get to camp, although since I had nowhere else to stop, I had no other option. Another hiker and I finally arrived about an hour before sunset. There was enough space in the shelter for us, which will be good so we can get out of the rain. I completed my camp tasks as quickly as possible, knowing that the downpour was finally on its way. Dark clouds were moving overhead and I got into bed just in time. I’m falling asleep to the sound of the rain.

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