El Dorado wandered through camp around 9 am. I was taking my time breaking down and nowhere close to being ready when he walked in, so he took a break. He’d hurt his knee on the rocks yesterday and was going fairly slow.
The first couple of miles today meandered through some gorgeous meadows. We climbed up to a ridge-line where we crossed the Eastern Continental Divide and passed the largest oak tree on the AT.
The views for lunch were great but there was a bit of rock scrambling afterwards.
Eventually we came down the other side of the ridge and into Niday shelter. Between my feet and El D’s knee we needed a break, so we took our shoes off and relaxed for an hour or so.
After climbing one more mountain, we descended into Trout Creek. There was already a fire going and a local was hanging out providing beer for donations. After dinner and a couple beers I gladly climbed into bed and hope to sleep well. Tomorrow we should pass Dragon’s Tooth and McAfee Knob – 2 of the 3 most photographed spots on the trail.
Day 62 Mileage: 20.7 mi [House Ruins -> Trout Creek ]
Total Mileage: 705.1 mi