Day 4 – Making Miles

Last night was cold! I had all my clothes on and it was still a little cold. However, I was pretty happy with the terrain of my tent as it was my first time doing it on a trail. As tents with trekking poles can be a bit difficult to get compared to freestanding ones.

Nature’s alarm clock

This morning began with being awakened by a vigorous conversation some Barred Owls were having. Anyone unfamiliar should call them Bard Owls because of how much they vocalize. The temperature was around 30 degrees, and the sun peeked out from time to time. The cold morning slowed my breaking out of camp, but at 9:15 I set off north. The first few kilometers were quite pleasant, with small climbs and descents along some ridges. I was feeling pretty good this morning, some minor soreness and stiffness that went away within the first mile of walking.

Coming down Tesnatee Gap I came across Trail Magic! Trail Magic was presented by King Tut and a couple of others as part of a church group. It was a great break 5 miles into the day where I had a hot ham and cheese sandwich, coffee, a bagel and a couple of oatmeal spreads.

Walking on the sun

The magical trail was followed by a climb up Wildcat Mountain, which was made a little more difficult due to my stomach being full of food. But after that climb and the sun warming the air, I was left in just a t-shirt for the first time on my hike, which was an incredible feeling! It was nice to feel warm for once.

The afternoon was fairly uneventful, mostly ridge walking and relatively minor ups and downs. We stopped at Low Gap Shelter to take a quick break and filter some water before continuing. I was originally going to stop at a tent site about 15 and a half miles away, but the site was full. So I continued on and then I realized the next tent spot had no water and I didn’t fill the tank at the last fountain so I continued on to Blue Mountain Shelter. Which was further than I wanted to go today, but it worked well and I still felt good. On the plus side, at Blue Mountain Shelter some people from my hostel stayed early! So it was nice to see some familiar faces again.

PSA: Zebra pies are not approved snacks for the hipbelt…

Day 4 stats:

17.8 miles

3980′ Ascent, 3740′ Descent

Bull Gap to Blue Mountain Shelter

4 days without cathole…

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