Day 43 – Can I get some water?

I woke up this morning shortly after 7am. Last night was a little colder than I expected, but since I still have all my warm gear, I stayed pretty warm. Unfortunately, with the current temperatures my clothes didn’t dry overnight, which was disappointing. But with wet clothes and all, I set off at 8 in the morning.

Drought?

The morning started with a climb back to the ridge line from the gap I descended into last night. And then for the next few kilometers it was up and down along the ridge, often quite rocky and slow terrain. During this time I encountered another snake on the trail! As is well documented up to this point, I really don’t like snakes. Fortunately, I realized right away that this little guy was harmless, but still…

Don’t make me call Saint Patrick!

After about 5 miles, the trail began a relatively long, steady descent from the ridge, which continued until I reached Jenkins Shelter. This morning I had a slightly heavier backpack as the next water source was over 9 miles away so I needed to pack several quarts of water. While I’ve been lucky that it hasn’t rained a ton so far, it’s taking a toll on some of the water sources. Many unreliable or seasonal water sources, which in theory should flow in spring, do not. Even some of the reliable water sources are dry or stagnant. Anyway, at the Jenkins shelter I filled up on water and had an early lunch.

Magical Trail Motivation

After lunch I continued on, motivated by a rumor of a magical test at the next road junction, 4.5 kilometers away. The next section of the trail consisted of fairly gentle terrain but with an 800 foot climb in the first 2 miles, followed by an 800 foot descent in the next 2 miles. While walking through this section, I ran into someone going south who confirmed that there was a magical trail at the next road junction. Looks good, double confirmation of information! So I continued down and just before reaching the road junction I saw a nice big stream, where hikers were cooling their feet and legs in the water. They confirmed that the magic of the trail was over for the day, but that the water was nice and refreshing. It’s its own kind of trail magic!

Great place to soak your feet

So I joined them and cooled my feet in the stream. After being there for about 30 minutes, I continued a little way to a smaller stream to fill up on water. I’m not sure if it really works this way, but when possible, which is most of the time, I try to fill water sources that are smaller because I feel there is less chance of contamination building up.

Soft Blessing Box

I filled up with water, as the next water source was another 8 miles away, which is unusual on the AT. With a heavy backpack, I proceeded with another climb of about 700 feet in a couple of miles. Fortunately, although it is quite sunny and hot today, there is a nice cool breeze that makes it tolerable. But I didn’t feel very well all afternoon, possibly dehydration, I’m not sure. Fortunately, the next few kilometers went by without a hitch. With gradual ascents and descents, all on a gentle trail! I had some service so I even took the time to call my mom to chat. Leaving the woods, I came to a crossroads that would take me to Bland, VA. At that intersection were picnic tables, a trash can, and a small “blessing box” with some food inside. I had a small cup of dry cereal and ate while I threw out the trash and took a quick break to sit down.

I also found a fortune cookie there and opened it and was pleasantly surprised that it was Appalachian Trail themed! But since it was already after 6 pm and I still had a couple of miles to go, I continued.

Good advice

I walked a little bit on the highway, downhill and then on the interstate. The road continued until reaching a parking lot where the trailhead was. There were a few tent sites there, but they all seemed to be full. There was a creek there so I filled up to capacity as it was the last source of water for the next 10 miles or so (off a steep side trail which was 0.5 miles). After that it was a steep climb for the next mile. Fortunately, the next two kilometers were relatively flat, which made the hike easier. A little further than I expected, but I finally found a hidden spot to set up shop. It wasn’t the flattest, but it was doable and it was getting dark.

Statistics for day 43:

24 miles

4,711′ ascent, 4,974′ descent

Walker Gap to Stealth Site

6DSLC…

Stove use times: 7

Snakes seen: 3

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.