There were a lot of people around the shelter last night, day hikers, section hikers, and a couple other thru-hikers. For all those people, only 2 actually used the shelter – the rest of holed up in tents and hammocks. With the temps warming up the shelters are just too buggy to be very appealing.
It was further than I thought to the road crossing, so I didn’t make it there until after 10 am. Peach was still waiting for me with sandwiches and daypacks for everyone she was slack packing for. I helped her load up 12 packs and her own gear in the car and set off on my remaining 10 miles for the day.
The hike uphill was killer and I was really glad not to have my pack on. Eventually I topped out on the 6 mile climb, but the real finish line was the brewery and a cold beer.
Devil’s backbone turned out to be more like a reservation than just a brewpub. There are multiple buildings, a dedicated RV park, and a huge area for tent and hammock camping. There’s a weird mix of folks in fancy clothes and thru-hikers but everyone seems welcoming. It’s a pretty good place to call home for a couple of days while I wait for the tramily to catch up.
Day 74 Mileage: 15.5 mi [Priest Shelter -> Reids Gap]
Total Mileage: 837.8 mi