With so many people at the shelter there’s always someone awake early, today was no different. I was on the top bunk and I had everything packed up before I got down. Had a quick breakfast of mostly chewy granola bars, then took off. It wasn’t long before I got to the summit of Blackrock Mountain, the AT actually just skirts the summit, but a little boulder scrambling and I got to the very top. Wilderness, and Jupiter were right behind me, and we all sat on the boulders for a while enjoying the early morning sun. Strider came along shortly and eventually made it up the rocks to join us after he fell and smacked his hip and side of his face on a rock.
After we had our fill of relaxing on the mountain we took off for the main attraction of the day – food at the first park wayside. I made a quick stop at the campstore along the way where I got a couple snacks to add to my foodbag. There was only about a mile between the store and the trail to the wayside, but I caught up to Wilderness in that section and got to hike the last 1/2 mile of her 400+ mile section with her, and got a nice picture of a Katahdin summit pose at the trail marker. Of course even though the AT crosses Skyline Drive several times a day we had to go 0.5 miles down a steep side trail to get to the wayside. We ended up getting there around 11 and everyone ordered pretty much the same thing – cheeseburger and fries. The burger was pretty bad, but the fries came as a huge serving and were hot, crispy, and delicious. The best part was the double scoop of blackberry ice cream for desert. We all lingered around outside under the shade of a big tree letting the food digest. We stayed until we finally had to say goodbye to Wilderness who was heading home for a wedding and real life. Only 16 days since Strider and I met her at Woods Hole, and probably about half of that camping together but they’ve been some good days. Camp doesn’t feel the same tonight.
After lunch and a long rest I only had to make it about five miles to Pinefield Hut. The climb back up to the actual AT was the most difficult half mile of the day. The AT continued its smooth Shenandoah stroll, and the darkening of the afternoon sky repeated itself. The rain today was much shorter and softer than yesterday, more of a shower than a storm. Let’s Party showed up at the shelter tonight, one of my oldest acquaintances on the trail, going all the way back to early the first week. She has skipped about a week of trail now though in order to hike this SNP section with a friend.