Another 15+ mile day bringing the total to 255.9 miles. Had a nice morning at Standing Bear, went up to the supply room and grabbed a pair of Jimmy Dean Sausage muffin sandwiches for the microwave and a matching pair of Yoohoos to drink. The chocolate milk was great, hadn’t realized how much I missed that.
Hiking began with the usual long climb up from the bottom of a gap. The forest felt especially lush and dense in many places today and the weather was perfect. There was sun, but the forest was so thick the trail was almost always completely shaded. The air temperature was probably in the 60s and usually accompanied by some wind. The day was mostly climbing but usually at just the right slope where I can keep going nonstop.
Most days of climbing return rewarding views and todays reward was Max Patch. A completely treeless bald just shy of a mile in elevation, Max provided some great views of the countryside including the Smokies I just left behind. Although spectacular, it was made a little less special by the parking lot and power lines a couple hundred yards down the west side. Clingman’s Dome felt the same way – the best views are the ones that can only be earned by a nice hike. Still, it was very tempting to stay on Max Patch until sunset to see the sunset and take some pics. The shelter was only about a mile farther, but the plan for tomorrow is an 18 mile day from the shelter into Hot Springs, NC. I decided not to make a long day even longer, and went along to the shelter to get my boots off and make dinner. With only 11.7% of the trail done, there will be many more opportunities for sunrises and sunsets.
Tonight at the shelter its just me, Matt, and Jupiter. The smallest crowd at a shelter yet, and the best. I met Jupiter back at Tricorner Knob, and he’s been the only one to keep up with me and Matt. Jupiter’s just out of the army, he was in the 82nd Airborne and loved jumping out of planes. It’s really nice to have just two others to share the shelter with and no one snores. I’m actually setting the alarm for tomorrow to get an extra early start on the 18 miles into Hot Springs. Time for some zzzzz….