I woke up to rainy weather and since I actually had 3g I checked the forecast on my phone. Weather Channel called for rain until 8, then a 0% chance of precipitation until the evening. I laid around a while, then made oatmeal and hot chocolate then started packing. Just as I hoped the rain stopped minutes before I was ready to go.
It stayed cloudy for all but a few moments today, but the humidity was over 70% the temperature was still warm and there were several big hills. Stopped for lunch at Bryant Ridge Shelter 13.4 miles in and was surprised to find a bunch of new faces – people who have been ahead of me – didn’t expect to catch new people right after taking a zero day. After lunch came the first of four huge looking climbs between Daleville and the start of Shenandoah National Park next week. Turned out to be not nearly as bad as it looked on the maps. It is incredible how just a few degrees difference in grade can change the difficulty of a climb. This one was long but full of switchbacks and in the shade of tall trees, nonetheless I was completely drenched in sweat by the end.
Cornelius Creek is just about a half mile down from the top of Floyd Mountain and Strider and I have the place to ourselves. There are quite a few bees around though, but they don’t seem interested in stinging. It’s cloudy and cool, most likely another night of showers is on the way.