Day 37: 300 Miles

Starting Point: Little Laurel Shelter (294.8)

Ending Point: Flint Mountain Shelter (308.8)

Total miles: 14.0 miles

Steps: 35,608

Injuries: None

Achievements: *** 300 Miles ***, I Scaled Big Butt -- I Cannot Lie, White Rock Cliff, Blackstaff Cliff, Big Firescald Knob, Big Butt Mountain

I cannot say I was looking forward to today.  The weather report was terrible.  Rain all day, non- stop, and hard.  There was a good chance of thunderstorms, and the high wind warning with gusts over 70 mph was still in affect.

We were huddled in a shelter facing south and the wind was coming in from the south east.  My ultralight tent won't survive that, so I took my chances in the shelter.  That and the conversations are often hilarious.

At some point, in the middle of the night, the rain was going to start.  I had my tent with me at the ready.  In theory, I could use it as a bivy.

I woke up at some point in the middle of the night to the wind hitting my face.  I jerked up and felt my quilt expecting it to be soaked.  It was not.  It was the start of the rain.  It lasted for just a short while and I didn't get wet.

Looking at the weather once the sun rise, things were now worse.  100% chance at a thunderstorm at 1 p.m.  We needed to hike 14 miles today as my hiking partners do not have extra food.

We agreed to hike to the next shelter, get a weather update, and stay there if we needed to.  I have food to share.

We made excellent time, even though it was now raining.  After a long discussion over lunch, we decided to risk it.  We'll hike through the storm.  At our rate, we might miss it.

If you are reading this then you know I've climbed a mountain or two.  Of all the mountains I've climbed, without a doubt, my favorite was scaling Butt Mountain in Northern California.  There are not many adventurers who have dared to face the challenges of Butt Mountain. I have no such fear.

Since I started the Appalachian Trail, I have been chasing my next great challenge -- Big Butt Mountain.

The wind was blowing hard off of Big Butt.  The rain was hard, but surprisingly warm.  The trail was moist with patches of mud that was sometimes sticky and sometimes slippery.  At one point as I slowly made my approach, I almost fell face first.

As I climbed, I found myself facing an unusual rock formation.

I was curious, but my wife has given me strict instructions not to put myself in a compromising position.  As she says, "do not allow you ego to exceed your ability".  I gave it a wide birth and kept Big Butt in focus.

It was rocky and a hard climb, but it really didn't have much of chance.  I scaled it.  At the top I celebrated.  As I did, Captain Blogger hiked past me.  She looked at me with a face that said "what are you?  A six year old?"

So, I sent a text to my family.  Especially my son.  He'll appreciate my accomplishment.

For the final part of the hike, as we walked on the edge, the weather was completely different to the east and to the west.  These two pictures were taken from the exact same spot and time.  I just turned 180 degrees.

As you can see, one side was sunny and warm.  The other was cold and damp.  Eventually the trail turned, but to the cold and damp.

We finished 14 strong miles.  I reached the shelter just as thunder started to roar. Now there are a bunch of us enjoying the thunderstorm dry in a shelter.