6/12/12 – 835 miles
It rained hard during the night and morning brought more of the same. I was in no hurry to get back on the trail and get wet. A check on the Weather Channel showed clearing and high pressure moving in as the day wore on, so there was plenty of time to enjoy a delicious breakfast.
I’m with three other thruhikers: Yeti and Kentucky, two girls that met on the trail, and Funnybone, a retired orthopedic surgeon. We talked and ate slowly as we waited for the rain to let up, until eventually, we knew we couldn’t put it off anymore.
The B&B owners took me back to the trail and I made my way up and over a mountain called the Priest. Ordinarily, there are great views from The Priest but everything was socked in. I made good time down the mountain, crossed a real neat suspension bridge, and arrived at Harper’s Creek Shelter by 4:00 pm. At the shelter I met Sicilian Gypsy and we both decided to move on to Maupin Shelter only 6.2 miles north. Usually, I can figure 2 mph, but the trail switchbacked up a 4000 foot mountain littered with jagged boulders. It was almost 8 when I arrived.
At the shelter I met up once again with Kleenex. We didn’t have much time to talk because I was in a hurry to set up my tent and make dinner before darkness or rain descended. I did learn that Kleenex’s sister was picking her up in Waynesboro the next day and that she could give me a ride into town. For AT hikers, transportation into town is precious and I greatfully accepted.