I awoke this morning to the sound of Miranda encouraging a golden retriever to stick its head in my tent and lick me. I guess it belonged to some locals out for a morning walk and the dog had run over to her while she was peeing in the woods. After trying to wake me up the dog went over to Landon and ate one of his belvita breakfast biscuits. After that excitement we took it slow this morning, I slept really well last night for the first time in a while because Miranda didn’t let me eat sugar last night. She is so smart. I was eager to continue relaxing.
Turned out we did get to continue relaxing, after walking less than a mile we were at the home of Bill Ackerly. His house is just a few yards off the trail, and he stocks his patio with free icecream for hikers and has a croquet set on his lawn. We passed on the croquet but spent a few minutes talking to Bill while I enjoyed a pair of orange creamsicles. The next several hours were spent going up Smart Mountain. We may not quite be in the Whites yet but the climbs are starting to feel like it. It was a good day for it though, almost all sun with cool air and a slight breeze. It was the kind of day where you feel absolutely perfect hiking and then slightly chilly when you stop for a break and the sweat is evaporating. At the summit of Smart there was an awesome firetower with spectacular views. It reminded me of the view from Shuckstack back on the first day in the Smokys.
The descent was about as long as the climb, but the terrain was smoother and we covered it fairly quickly. All told we only did 12 miles today, but I’ve been eager to do some shorter days for a while. Just a couple of days from the hardest part of the trail so I want to be fully rested and ready to enjoy the Whites.