Bald Mountain Shelter to Hogback Ridge Shelter, 10.1 miles
JUNE 5
A pot of hot apple-cinnamon oatmeal was a good start to a rainy day. The first mile was muddy and slippery up to Big Bald.
When I got to the top, I saw the silhouette of a backpacker standing in
the midst of dense fog. Her name was Kendra, from Nashville. She was
section hiking the Appalachian Trail a week at a time with a couple of
male friends. They were behind her today. She said it was better to be
on the trail in fog than to not be on the trail at all. I asked if I
could take her picture with her backpacker profile in stark relief
against the fog background. Kendra agreed it would make an interesting
shot. She took a photo of me also. We chatted a few more minutes, and
she said she would send me an email when she finished her hike so we
could exchange photos.
Hogback Ridge Shelter, Appalachian Trail
From Bald Mountain, it was mostly downhill
to Hogback Ridge Shelter, a three-sided log hut. The water source was a
half mile round trip from the shelter. Handling the cold water and
losing body heat to cooling evaporation sent shivers through me. I
quickly changed out of damp clothes back at the shelter. Two section
hikers from Kentucky and Indiana were already at the shelter. Randy
cooked a tasty-looking supper consisting of a box of cheesy shells, a
pouch of salmon, and a can of corn. He mentioned he had once added a
Snickers bar to macaroni and cheese. Skylar snacked on granola since he
had already eaten supper. I cooked lasagna with a side of ratatouille
and vanilla pudding with graham crackers and warm bananas for dessert.
Randy had thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail ten years earlier. He was out
for two months this trip and said he was taking it slow this time, “to
see what I rushed past the last time.” Randy and Skylar rolled
cigarettes after supper.
Several wet, muddy hikers arrived after
dark, filling the one-level shelter to capacity. I was the sardine
against the wall. Above me, a mouse scurried along a narrow ledge
between two logs, surveying the possibilities. One man forewarned us
about his snoring, and we all agreed it might serve as a bear deterrent.
Unfortunately, it was also a sleep deterrent—I pulled my sleeping bag
over my head and stuck my nose out occasionally for air.
Next Day:
Hogback Ridge Shelter to Flint Mountain Shelter
Previous Day:
Near No Business Knob Shelter to Bald Mountain Shelter
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