I woke up like a baby coddled in the mist after my best night’s sleep on the trail. Absolutely amazing, given the rain and the 45 degree temperatures. This was a best rainy night I’ve ever spent in a tent!

We hiked up Unaka Mountain and encountered a beautiful zone where the wind was whipping the fog over the trees. Occasionally a gust of wind would tumble bits of the fog though the trees where it danced around the trail until it disappeared. The wind flowed up the right side of the mountain, encountered the bare branches of the trees overhead and changed from a whistle to a ripping roar before fighting free and departing with a quieter whistle.

We crested the mountain and walked through a section of forest where moss covered the ground and the wind has swept up all the fallen leaves and branches away like an obsessive-compulsive gardener.

J-Bird describe her mood as ‘A cat in a thunderstorm’ and I was in the same place—wild about everything. It was an absolutely incredible morning then the rains came down hard for a couple of hours and my vision narrowed to the trail ahead of me.

The afternoon was all fog and wind. I hiked alone and my vision was limited to 50 feet most of the time. I kept an eye on the trail, another eye on interesting trees in the mist and set my mind to work on the high school volleyball season I’ll be returning to after the trail. Hiking time is great thinking time.

I changed upon arriving at the shelter since getting warm & dry always comes first, then set up my tent. Food was next—since I’d skipped lunch in favor of Cliff bars & candy bars in the bad conditions. I had both lunch & dinner in one sitting and stuffed myself!

Hikers kept arriving at the shelter. Hoplite & Slick are here as well as a section hiker & five others. Burn stopped by for dinner before walking on. The surprise came when Jan Liteshoe & her friend Stumpknocker stopped in for dinner. Jan hiked NOBO last year and wrote a beautiful journal that was an inspiration as I geared up for this hike. Stumpknocker finished a SOBO hike in February and both he & Jan were great to talk to.

It’s a nice, clear evening now—let’s hope it holds!