Slept well last night. One of the best nights of sleep in a shelter actually. On one hand I really didn’t want to start moving today because the big mean looking climb was basically right outside the shelter; on the other hand it was nice and cool in the morning but not actually raining – perfect uphill weather. As usual it turned out to be easier than it looked on the maps. Rain started midway up and then came and went frequently for several hours. The best part about the long climbs is getting to walk along the high elevation ridges and enjoying the cooler air. Today featured a mixture of grassy balds and lush woodland.
Around 2:00 the sun finally forced its way through the clouds for the first time in days. Within minutes I came upon a spot where the AT crosses a forest service road and Wilderness was already sitting down in the middle of the road enjoying the rays. It didn’t take much convincing for me to sit down and do the same; we ate lunch there too. A couple southbounders came through as well checking their maps before heading onward. We managed to stay dry the rest of the way to the shelter, and the forecast for tomorrow is much improved – only 30% chance of rain or less for most of the day.
Just the Rylu/Strider/Wilderness trio at camp again tonight for the Fourth of July. No fireworks, and unfortunately everything is totally soaked so no fire either. It was nice to get in early; 15 miles seemed like a really short day after so many long ones lately. The big event tonight was Wilderness becoming very patriotic and standing on the firering right in front of the shelter and singing four all American songs for us – most notably the Star Spangled Banner. Even have it all on video; watch out YouTube!