Miles Hiked: 12.5
Miles Left: 2092.4
Ending Location: Carter Gap Shelter

I’m sure this is getting old starting my entries this way, but it was really cold this morning. Having to break camp when it’s below freezing is my least favorite part of hiking the AT so far.

Upon leaving camp B an I realized we were going the wrong way. Turning around I ended up slipping on an icy plank spanning a creak and stepped right in the water. Let’s hear it for waterproof boots!

For the first half of the morning B was a bit out of it because he had taken muscle relaxers for his back. He likened it to driving drunk since he knew where he wanted to go, but getting there was a bit tricky. They wore off soon enough and he reported that he felt fine. Sleeping on the ground has been giving him problems, but unfortunately there’s not many other options. He may end up picking up another air mattress at the next resupply which has a full fledged outfitters shop.

The hike itself was long but fairly uneventful. I wore my coat until around 11 which should tell you it was pretty cold. We had lunch on top of Indian mountain and were treated to a spectacular view. Most of the terrain today was either flat or downhill, (with the exception of that one mountain), so we were really able to put on the miles. One cool thing was the variety of plant life, (or lack of it), we saw. Each couple of miles were very different from the last.

We rolled into camp around five and the temperature was dropping fast. Most of our original bubble was here which was fun, but between setting up my tent, eating dinner, and getting ready for bed I didn’t have much time to socialize. Winter really is coming and there’s a good chance the temperature could drop to around 15 degrees tonight. I already told B that tomorrow will be a slow start…