Day 72
Start: Laurel Creek Shelter
End: Trout Creek
Miles Hiked: 21.5
Miles on AT: 696.9
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I’ve got a date! Janitor didn’t want to miss one of the biggest oak trees on the AT, so he came out to meet me on trail to hike to see it. I left camp a bit earlier than usual (7:30 am) to arrive at our rendezvous location on time and unfortunately I had the (dis)pleasure of silk blazing. There were so many spider webs! And not just single strands across the trail, I’m talking huge webs. It just goes to show how much I love Janitor; if I’m willing to fight through spider webs to see him, then it must be true.
The morning walk was pleasant, although a bit warm even though it was still early. I passed through picturesque pastures and fantasized about my dream farmland. Just as I was coming out of a stile, I spotted Janitor waiting for me at the road. Yay! We were back on trail together again, if only for a couple of hours.
We hiked to the tree and, wow, was it big! At over 18 feet around and over 300 years old, Keffer Oak is the largest oak tree on the AT in the south. We took a few pictures and spent some time together by the tree. Janitor brought me a fresh peach as well as some Japanese gummies, so I enjoyed that while we shared second breakfast. What a treat!
Far too soon, it was time for us to go our separate ways, Janitor back to the road and I on my way northbound. It was time for one of my big climbs of the day. The sun was shining and the temperature was rising. Luckily, most of the climb was shaded by the green tunnel, but I did pass through a few exposed areas. There, I found that the blackberries were starting to come into season. I picked a few ripe ones and, man, were they good! There were still a bunch of red and green berries, meaning more berries in the future for me.
Once at the top, I ridge walked for about 5 miles or so. There were a few views here and there, but the walk was pleasant. That is, until I reached a sloped rocky edge of the ridge. Then it became awesome! The trail took me out on a rocky face that was sloped at about a 35 degree angle and all I could do was try to balance and stay on trail. There was no longer a dirt trail, just blazes on rock.
The view from this section was breathtaking. The rocky face was exposed with no tree cover, so I could see for miles and miles down the valley and over to the next set of mountains. Planes flew overhead and birds circled in the distance. Soon, though, it was time to descend.
The descent was long and partially through a burn area, but eventually I made it to a shelter and water. Did I mention it was really hot today? The cool water at the shelter was just a trickle, but I so enjoyed drinking it after I collected and filtered its refreshing goodness.
After a while, I figured I should get moving, and you wouldn’t guess what greeted me at the next road crossing. Trail magic pizza! A gentleman whose wife, Movin’ Moo, had hiked the AT was making and baking pizzas for hikers. It was exactly what I needed, especially since I was starting to feel hungry. I sat and chatted with him and the other hikers and bikers in the parking lot before continuing on.
I still had a number of miles to complete and it was already 4 pm. If I stuck with my plan, I would get into camp after 7:30 pm. I didn’t want to get in that late, plus the shelter was 0.4 miles off trail, so I decided to aim for the creek about 1.5 miles before the shelter.
On the climb, the evening sun heated the trail up. I couldn’t escape the strong rays and there wasn’t much tree cover on the snaking switchbacks, so I took a number of breaks and drank the gatorade I had so gratefully received from the trail magic stop.
Waiting for me at the top was a perfectly placed bench. After a brief rest, I made my way to the Audie Murphy Memorial, a memorial for the most decorated soldier during World War II. Soon, it was time for the long descent and, one I reached the bottom, I found a few familiar faces at the creek. The young hiker from last night’s shelter was there as well as another hiker, Two Stoves, who I had passed on trail a few times in the previous couple of days.
Ahhh, the creek! Once I had my tent setup and most camp chores done, I took my shoes off and soaked my feet. Small fish gathered around my feet, undulating in the soft current. The setting sun filtered through the trees, taking the heat with it as it disappeared. I chatted with the other hikers for a while before getting into my tent and resting my bones for the night.
Tomorrow, I will see Dragon’s Tooth and the famous McAfee Knob!
And that’s day 72.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.