Starting Point: Hawk Mountain Campsite (7.4)

Ending Point: Gooch Mountain Shelter (15.8)

Total Miles: 8.4 miles

Steps: 23,622

Achievements: Crammed Like a Stale Sardine

The news on trail was that the weather coming had become more severe and with lower temperatures.  That weather was expected about 2 p.m.  Instead of hiking ten miles, we decided to stop early at the Gooch Mountain Shelter.  This disrupted stuff, but not in a bad way.  I have plenty of food.  I need to do a better job eating.

So, the race to the shelter was on.  However, there were three 500-foot climbs to overcome.  My quads are exhausted, and there is little spring in my step on inclines.  I had to clear out of my mind how I used to crush this like it was nothing on the PCT.  It wasn’t true.  My up-game sucked on day 3 of the PCT, too.

It took awhile, but based on what I saw, my Presbyterian friend, Crow, will never climb all this in a day.  I never got to say goodbye, but that is the way of the trail.

I made it to the shelter at exactly 2 p.m., just as the rain started.  Jason and Wally were there to greet me.  I was early enough, to get a bottom spot on the floor for the night.

The shelter was lifted off the ground.  People set up there to stay out of the rain.  Once I was settled in, I was with my people.  20 dirty, stinky dudes, shoulder-to-shoulder, riding the storm out.

While stopping early is the smart thing to do, it puts a jump in the plan.  My next resupply point is at Neels Gap at 31.2.  However, to camp beyond 26.2 requires a bear canister, and I don’t have one.  Wally has offered to jam his full, but Jason doesn’t have one either.  We either have another short day tomorrow, or try to muscle a 14-plus marathon, including climbing up Blood Mountain.  The trouble is that there are 20+ trying for those limited spots.

The race is on!