Day 59: A New Longest Day...

May 5: The morning started warm, which didn't bode well for the rest of the day. The cold mornings before Daleville seemed a thing of the past.

Most of the day's hiking was uneventful, however, and I picked up big miles early on. Near the end of the day, I had a 3,000-ft climb which really wiped me out. It wiped out pretty much all of the hikers on the trail this day. Between the heat and humidity, we were feeling like crap!

The Peaks of Otter, as seen from a viewpoint along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I pulled into the Thunder Hill Shelter late in the day just as the first drops of rain started to fall. It wasn't heavy enough for me to pull out my umbrella so I don't count it as a rain day. The Thunder Hill Shelter looked packed, though, and I was still a bit nervous about someone in there infecting me with the norovirus. But I worried about the rain. I didn't want to camp in the rain.

The brief sprinkle had stopped and stayed stopped for the better part of an hour and I decided to try cowboy camping without the tarp. If I hadn't been so darned tired, I'd have set up my tarp in a heartbeat, but I was absolutely exhausted. I did, however, situate my campsite so I could easily set up a tarp over it if it became absolutely necessary.I crossed my fingers and hoped not! I also set it up a short way in front of the shelter so I could chat with the other hikers easier while keeping an eye on any rodents or other fellows that might want to raid my gear.

It wasn't until I wrote in my journal that I realized I had completed my longest day yet: 56,818 steps over 23.7 miles.

Proudfoot (facing the camera) and an unknown hiker refill their water for the day's hike.

I just love these flowers! So brilliant! =)

This is an FAA tower on Apple Orchard Mountain.

The trail runs under this hanging rock which, uncomfortably, is called "The Guillotine."