Day 29
Start: Newfound Gap
End: Peck’s Corner Shelter
Miles Hiked: 10.5
Miles on AT: 218.4
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I had a hectic start to this morning. I woke up early to edit and schedule 2 vlogs for YouTube, and then there was the mad dash to get things re-ready for hiking. There’s always so much to do and so little time when I come off trail. We were scheduled to leave at 10am, but ended up leaving around 10:30 – not too bad for us.
We got to Newfound Gap and back on trail around 11:30 am. Rain was forecasted for today and the next few days and it definitely looked like it. I guess my new rain jacket would get the test it needed.
At the gap, beautiful gusts of fog billowed up and through the air, making for a captivating scene. We started hiking with rain gear on since we were heading straight into a menacing-looking cloud. However, we quickly shed them once we realized the fog wasn’t as fierce as it seemed.
The weather was actually perfect – cool and crisp, no rain, just mist. The trail was nicely graded and wide, making our climb pleasant and easy. It felt so good to be back on trail with the fiance – reunited at last! This was the experience I wanted, not the solo hiking experience.
We took a brief break at a shelter and then continued on. The fog enveloped us on both sides, obscuring everything but the mountain we were on. As we hiked further, though, the fog began to clear and the amazing mountain vistas were revealed to us.
Clouds played in the valleys and along the mountains. The sunlight filtered through, creating patches of golden light. It was absolutely beautiful!
The rain continued to hold off until we reached the shelter. We were in the process of selecting our tentsite when the first drops began to fall. We quickly put up our tent, collected water, and found a dry spot in the shelter to eat our dinner.
At tonight’s shelter, we met Wonder Woman, a badass hiker who’s completing her Triple Crown with the AT. She had only started about two weeks ago, but here she was with us. She was making big miles and crushing it! We had a great chat about thru hiking experiences over dinner.
There was a new crop of faces at this shelter; it seemed like there was a mix of regular hikers and thru hikers. However, because we came in late today, we didn’t have too much time to get to know the others. Night fell quickly and soon it was time to hit the hay.
And that’s day 29.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.