The day started a little later than expected. Jessie hardly slept because going from resting at home to hiking 11.6 miles with a full backpack puts a person in a lot of pain, and sore muscles kept her up all night. We’re learning that ibuprofen could end up being a close friend on this journey.
It was a little stressful watching the 12 tents pack up and leave while we were eating breakfast. Even in the forest, where you’re just supposed to be enjoying nature, it’s hard not to feel like you’re being left behind.
My water filter started to malfunction, so I was trying to fix it while Jessie made coffee and packed things up. This little hiccup caused us to fall quite a bit behind and all the people staying at the Springer Shelter were starting to overtake us. That really put us into overdrive to get down the road.
With a water filter now functional, we stopped at the first stream we saw and enjoyed some beautiful lighting coming through the rhododendron. The next few miles were this beautiful collaboration of leaves and amber light that created some great scenery. It was so beautiful that it made Jessie forget that she hadn’t slept for at least a few hours. I was kicking myself, wishing I had heard of the Three Forks area while growing up in Georgia.
Our first stop along the way was Hawk Mountain Shelter to enjoy the wonders of another outhouse and grab a quick snack. A small social group had formed where we met a lot of people, some hiking and others not.
As we talked, a super-optimistic and talkative colleague from Maine assured us that the pain we were feeling in our legs would go away in a month or two. He had already completed the course once in 2018 (we ran into him later that day and he called us «speed demons in the making,» which was a nice ego boost). So far everyone we have met has been absolutely wonderful.
Our first Trail Angel experience:
At Horse Gap, we met our first trail angel. I want to say it was a great experience, but unfortunately he seemed a little more interested in helping young solo female hikers, which made for an awkward atmosphere. They told me they were going to give me a clear bottle cap instead of a colorful one so I could “flirt with pretty young girls and ask them what their favorite color is.” Just an unfortunate dynamic for a lovely trail angels concept.
However, overall he seemed to have his heart in the right place and really preached about hiker safety. He gave everyone their choice of whistle (this time I got to choose my color) in case anyone ever got lost along the way or ended up in an emergency.
We did manage to get a tissue to clean the dishes though, so overall I think we ended up on top.
Finally socializing at camp:
We finished the day with a big hill climb followed by a nice descent and finally ended up camping near Justus Creek. There were a lot of people there that we had met along the way and it was nice to finally have some time to talk and learn about everyone.
There are so many diverse backgrounds along the way. So far, there is a small core group of about 10 people who we continue to meet and chat with while making dinner. It’s just a question of whether or not we can keep up with them.
After dinner, I had the pleasure of digging my first cat den. As nice as it is to have a campsite full of wonderful people, it is quite difficult to find any privacy. Overall, it wasn’t the best bathroom experience I’ve ever had and the afternoon became a little more stressful afterwards.
Jessie and I realized we had probably walked through the poison ivy while setting up the bear canisters. What followed was a good thirty minutes of panicking and reassuring Jessie that poison ivy wouldn’t completely kill the trip. Fortunately, it appears we had no reaction and most likely simply misidentified the plant. With relief in our hearts, we fainted.
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.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/dog-steals-mic-from-reporter-040926-d5e3f6fa14524fbd92a9e68617581038.jpg?w=238&resize=238,178&ssl=1 "Perro roba el micrófono de un periodista durante una transmisión de televisión en vivo, provocando una divertida persecución")
