Miles: 301.4 | A perfect blue-sky morning turns into one of those rare trail days that feels almost effortless. Long climbs lead to a stunning ridge where I nap in the sun, clouds drifting by below me, and wake up feeling more rested than I realized I needed. Plans shift as storm threats roll in, and we choose the shelter over uncertainty, gathering around logs under a glowing Luci light to eat, laugh, and roll out aching legs. I crawl into my sleeping bag early, soothed by tired muscles, a good book, and the quiet satisfaction of a full, balanced day.
I woke up early and left camp around the same time as Josh. The sun broke through the clouds and a beautiful day shaped up early. I hiked quickly and passed Josh. We walked up and up all day and eventually came to a beautiful ridge with some incredible views.
I sat at the top in and sun and soaked it in. Soon, Maverick and Josh caught up to me. We took pictures and chatted with an ATC worker who was also on the ridge.
I sat down alone in a small alcove and leaned back on my pack. I ate a Pop-Tart and looked at the scene below me. I watched the clouds go by.
I fell asleep in the sun on that ridge for a god twenty minutes. When I woke up I felt so rejuvenated. I didn’t even realize how exhausted I was!
We had planned to go a little bit further but when we arrived at Hogback Ridge Shelter, Maverick and I being the first of our group to arrive, we decided we kind of wanted to just camp there. The water sources in the next few miles were unclear and we were about to go up a hill with an impending thunderstorm threat.
We weren’t sure about this thunderstorm because the sky had been so clear! Maverick and I began setting up and Josh and Tang soon rolled in and followed suit.
We all gathered around some logs and set up Tang’s Luci light on a trekking pole to eat dinner while we watched the clouds roll in. After eating I rolled out Tang’s legs and Maverick’s legs. Maverick rolled out mine after. The pain of rolling your legs is absolutely awful but it makes such a difference in the long run.
I went to bed early and fell asleep reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.