Miles Hiked 18.0
Elevation 3,365
Miles Hiked Today 9.0
The Springer Mountain Shelter last night was packed. Everyone wanted to get out of the forecasted storm. After doing hundreds of miles on long trails that have no shelters, it was like a return home. Fortunately, there were no snorers, but I still had trouble sleeping. Of course, that probably had something to do with the constant banging throughout the night. The shelter is two story and there are a couple of windows with shutters on the second floor that were making the noise. The hikers on the second story couldn’t put it together that securing the banging shutters would stop the noise. Welcome to the Appalachian Trail.
In the early morning, a very impressive storm started. There was fog, wind and a torrential downpour. The previous evening one of the hikers had a meltdown because I ate a bite size candy bar in the shelter before taking my food bag to the bear box. Eating in the shelter attracts mice. He said nothing when another hiker prepared a complete dinner in the shelter. Well, meltdown boy left the shelter at 4 AM to start hiking. He got nailed in the storm that blew up. I found that oddly satisfying.
I started hiking at 10 AM. The storm passed and the forecast was 76 degrees and sunny. The plan was to go a little way up the trail and then turn around. I made it to the next shelter northbound. It was a much nicer shelter than where I stayed last night. It took about an hour to get there, so I was kicking myself for not going the extra miles the day before.
After hanging around for a bit, I headed back south. The Georgia Appalachian Trail Club had a guy in a parking lot down the trail. He was counting hikers (35 by 1 PM), so I hung out with him for awhile. It’s nice not worrying about doing a lot of miles. Instead, I just took my time, hung out when I felt like it and hiked when I got bored.
There were more hikers on the trail today, which was easy to see. I always get a kick out of the ones who proclaim themselves “thru-hikers.” The truth is many of them will never make it out of Georgia.
At 4:30, my planned camp site came into view. Damn! There were tents there already. Nevertheless, I found a spot across from the other tents and setup my camp. Amicalola Falls State Park is just over 5 miles from here. I’ll be there before noon and then I start my 9 hour drive home. Ugh!
