There are two shelters here. The newer one is pictured here. In this picture you see the work crew who built it. I actually stayed in this shelter.
Mile 984.9
Elevation 1,322 feet
Miles Hiked 18.1
Well, so much for my plan to take it easy the last few days. I started hiking at 8:00 AM and reached a road about 9:30. A nice surprise was waiting there. Someone had left two coolers full of soda and Gatorade plus some chips and Oreos to eat. So, I’m sitting by the road enjoying a Gatorade when four cars pull up and unload at least a dozen kids and adults. First thing they do is head for the trail magic, which is clearly marked “for AT thru hikers only.” I stop them before they take anything. Next, I strike up a conversation with one of the adults. The first thing I ask him is where they’re going. Of course they are going to the shelter where I planned to spend the night.
No way was I going to stop the same place the kids were stopping. I looked at my AT guide and decided to put distance between them and myself. And so instead of an 8 mile day, I ended up doing 18 miles.
With the temperature in the 90’s and several steep climbs, it was a tough day. There was another trail magic and another Gatorade in the afternoon, which helped. I reached the shelter at 5:15 PM. It was inhabited by a redneck family of four who had spread out and consumed almost all available space for cooking and eating. I was too tired to care. I ate dinner and went to bed. I’m doing more big miles tomorrow.
