Make it count: Day # 64

Friday, May 15 - Day #64 - AT Hike

Miles Hiked Today - 21.0
Total Miles Hiked on AT - 841.0/2,193 (38.35%)

Double Spring Gap Shelter (197.2) to Peck’s Corner Shelter (218.2) - stayed in the shelter at Peck’s Corner

Total ascent - 5,044’
Total descent - 5,096’

Total States Completed - 1/14

**Rain - misty rain in the morning. Cleared by 10am. Sunny the rest of the day.

Herculean effort today. 21 miles with 5,044’ vertical. It’s 9:15pm right now - I only got into camp at 7:15pm. I was out there for 12 hours (which includes all my breaks, water stops, etc). I ate dinner fast and got things set for the night quickly.

I’m going to make this short - as I’m set to get up around 5am - for departure around 6am tomorrow. 23.3 miles - but not as much vertical. I hope to meet up with Greg & Korby around noon. I’m hoping to have 13 miles or so completed - then we’ll walk the last 10 miles together.

The Smokey’s are definitely open for business- that’s for sure. I’ve been in pretty remote areas of the park the past couple days. The average person is not going to see those areas. Today - when I got to Newfound Gap - there were hundreds of people there. I probably past over 100 people on the AT trail itself. Lots & lots of day hikers.

Today also restored my interest in the Smokey’s. The past couple of days - views were hard to come by. Today - after I got through the first 3 hours - the sun came out - the trail followed an exposed ridge line that presented amazing views all day. Outstanding!!

The only bummer of the day - Clingman’s Dome - the highest point on the AT (and third highest point East of the Mississippi River) - which has an observation deck - was completely clouded over. No view at all. That’s OK - I’ll get there again some day. My mom wants to see Gatlinburg/Dollywood - we’ll make a drive over.

The other big thing today - my Guthooks app quit working this morning. I stopped at Newfound Gap and fixed it (needed an app update). I also ate lunch there and posted my blog because I had a cell signal. I was busy - and I still had 10.5 miles to go at 1:30pm. People were coming over to me asking if I was a through-hiker. They had a bunch of questions. I answered politely- but I basically gave them the Heismann - I just didn’t have time to talk it out for an hour.

Here’s to a fast night of sleeping. Hoping to be coming to you live from a warm bed after my longest mileage day yet on the AT tomorrow night!