He who snores – Day 19

The snoring kept me awake most of the night. Even using earplugs, I ended up having to get out of the bunk bed and try to get some sleep on the couch. I left Hot Springs and headed to the Little Laurel Shelter around 6:30am.

Route report

The tour passed today without hardly any incidents. Mostly just a walk in the woods. The temperature dropped during the day and I had to put on some layers in the afternoon.

The exit from Hot Springs wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe I’m getting my legs crossed… fingers crossed.

I arrived at the Little Laurel shelter around 4 pm Overall, it was a good day. I felt strong after my zero yesterday.

Thought of the day

There is a lot of hard work along the way between the viewpoints and other interesting things. You need hard work in your life. It makes you grow physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Without doing difficult things your character cannot grow. You can’t learn discipline. You cannot develop courage. You will not develop determination. You cannot grow spiritually without difficulties.

Along the way, you are forced to work hard or go home. In other words, don’t hesitate to push yourself. Push yourself through the hard things because that’s when you’ll find true joy.

people i met

I received magic trail today from Lost and Found. They are a couple that started the AT in 2024, and finished it in 2025.

I was able to share with them my testimony of why I am attempting to hike the AT. I hope I have been an encouragement to them. They were for me.

Plant of the day

The wild geranium is the plant of the day. I started seeing it bloom recently. It thrives in forested areas from Canada to Alabama (my home state).

bird of the day

Today’s bird is the blue jay. They have a very harsh «jay» call. I read that they can also be very aggressive towards other birds. Especially around bird feeders.

“Blue Jay” by J Labrador is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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.