Apparently it’s Memorial Day weekend, I’m completely out of touch with dates – let alone holidays. Because of the holiday weekend, the day started out with trail magic a few miles from camp. The hot dogs and soda were delicious.
The climbs today were hot and steep. I stopped at the next shelter to use the privy and soak both my buff and shirt in the stream. Lack of water sources through the hike today had me carrying 3 liters (6.6 lbs) up hill with me.
I was walking with one earbud up when I stopped, thinking I was hearing a swarm of insects nearby. Instead, when I looked down I was about 6 inches from a copperhead snake that was angrily rattling at me. Another step and I would’ve kicked him. My adrenaline was through the roof as I backed away slowly and gave him wide berth, it’s scary to have been that close to being bitten.
The weather report had called for afternoon thunderstorms and I was really looking forward to them. Thunderstorms were cool, but also something to break the heat and humidity of the day sounded refreshing. When they finally rolled through, there were some distant rumbles, about five minutes of sprinkles and it was all over. I was supremely disappointed.
I crossed 800 miles before camp tonight, which is right next to a small river. I took advantage of the cool water and rinsed off the sweat of the day. I love hearing the sound of the river all night, but I hate waking up to everything being damp.
I have one more big mile day tomorrow and then I should be able to slack pack into the brewery the following day, where I can rest up for a few days. It’s about time to spend some time in town. The only thing I have left to read on my phone is Ulysses, and I just don’t find it that engaging. I’m looking forward to catching up on some phone calls and downloading a few new books.
Day 72 Mileage: 22.2 mi [Matt’s Creek Shelter -> Brown Mountain Shelter]
Total Mileage: 815.4 mi