I woke up to a hot breakfast that Dave, a local trail angel, hiked in for us. He provided an egg, bacon, sausage, and cheese casserole and beer. It was a really pleasant way to wake up.
The fire pit here is really impressive. It looks like someone made the Iron Throne, from Game of Thrones, out of stones. The Stone Throne doesn’t have quite the same ring – but it’s still pretty cool (sorry, I didn’t get a picture of it – but it’ll still be cool in your imagination).
My feet are finally starting to show some improvement, I think the women’s shoe inserts are helping. They still hurt during the day, but it’s more an aching dull pain instead of the deep sharp pain I’d been experiencing. Once I take my shoes off for the day the pain eases pretty quickly, which makes me think this might be sustainable.
We passed a few more gaps along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but the views were all hazed in. Humidity was 100% with showers and thunderstorms predicted in the area. To top it all off it was really hot. This storm system has been rolling all the way from Texas and left a bit of damage in its wake. Surprisingly, we didn’t get a single drop of rain all day.
Stopped at Bryant Ridge Shelter for the night, neither El Dorado or I were mentally prepared for the 3,000 foot climb over the next 5 miles tonight. Met Max at the shelter, he’s been doing the stonework art at the shelters and is the one responsible for the Stone Throne. He used to be a landscape guy and took some time off to clean up fallen trees and spruce up the fire pits.
The hammock fits perfectly between the posts at this shelter and tonight is surprisingly bug free. It should be a good night unless the storm finally rolls through.
Day 70 Mileage: 13.5 mi [Bobblets Gap Shelter -> Bryant Ridge Shelter]
Total Mileage: 770.6 mi