My Hiking Life: 100

Sunday, March 19, 2017

100

Day: 9
Start: 88.6
End: 105.9
Miles: 17.3
Hours: 8
High temp: 57
Low temp: 26
People met: 6

A view!

The morning is dreadfully cold. The trail is frozen tight, which is a nice feature for traction. I camped on a ridge last night and the evening temperature warmed a little, very pleasant. So I have to hike hard this morning to generate heat as the trail is downhill. The air is still and dense with deep cold pickets, the sky is crystal clear. The birds are out singing their sweet song for the first time since I started.

The AT is often referred to as the green tunnel. I can definitely see that. Right now the roddies are the tunnel part, but when the trees leaf out there will be not hint of a view.

Roddies creating the green tunnel

Another interesting fact that not everyone may realize is the AT is marked from end to end with a famious "white blaze". The blaze makes this trail so much easier to follow than other long trails. My mind is constantly put at ease whenever I see the blaze. I watch closely for it whenever I descend as I really dislike having to backtrack uphill.

The white blaze

So today I'm climbing this impossible vertical trail to the fire lookout. Each step is a full body raise, I'm feeling like ill never get there. Then the trail levels and I'm here.

The view from the lookout

Sorry this is the best picture I can get.

The exciting part is this tower represents the 100 mile mark. Once this mark is done the rest just happen, at lease that's the way it seems to work for me.

As the sun finally warms the earth the forest scents come alive. While I'm in the rhoddies green tunnel the air has a pleasant apple aroma and further down the trail with the leaf littered ground the scent of warm walnut is present. I pass a shelter with only one person there. So far each shelter has been packed and a full overflow of tents, so this is very strange. I suspect that it is the proximity to the Rock Gap that may be keeping it empty.