Day 93 – Tumbling Run to 1093.5 campsite

“… The road is long

With many a winding turn

That leads us to who knows where, who knows where

But I’m strong

Strong enough to carry him

He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother” – The Hollies 

Up at 6:00 and on trail at 7:10. Clear, mid-90s, humid. Curious to see how the new pack and my back get along today.

Stopped at Chimney Rocks at 8:00 for second breakfast. Nice view, but nothing photo-worthy.

Stopped at 9:45 for a snack. I rearranged the contents of my pack. Still fighting back pain.

Heard from my friend Ed Byrd. He is going to meet us at Caledonia State Park in a couple of hours with Gatorade and Snickers. Cool!

At 10:50 I stepped to the side of the trail to adjust my pack straps and heard a loud rattle. I annoyed this guy. Took us a minute to actually get eyes on him. We eased past him then watched him slither away. What’s with all the rattlesnakes!

Stopped for a break at the side trail to Rocky Mountain Shelter. Had a quick snack and moved on.

Got to Caledonia State Park at 1:00. My friend Ed Byrd drove 2 hours to bring us Gatorade, Snickers, and fresh fruit. We chatted for about an hour. Ed plans to do a Flip-Flop next summer. We said goodbye just after 2:00. Back on trail at 2:10. 

Stopped at Quarry Gap Shelter at 3:15. One of the nicest shelters on the AT.

Back on trail at 3:46. 7.5 miles to go.

Finished a hard hot climb at 5:10. Very hard climb. 

Stopped for water at Milesburn Cabin at 6:30. Was able to get a liter. We have about 2 .4 miles to go.

We decided to just go the .4 uphill from the cabin and camp. Otherwise, we would not be making dinner until 8:45 or later. 

We plan to sleep in tomorrow. We have 12 miles to reach Pine Grove Furnace, where we plan to stay at their hostel and eat at the grill at the Pine Grove Furnace store. Should be there about 2:30.

Overall, it was a good day. It was wonderful to see Ed. Great trail angel! My back did better with the new pack, but the vest harness is causing me some other muscle issues. Need a few more days to really figure things out. 

In bed at 9:30 and read for a while. 

Technical Notes:

• Pop-Tart 370
• Pop-Tart 370
• Skittles 75
• Skittles 75
• Snickers 250
• Snickers 250
• Medium orange 62
• Zero-calories sausage 120
• Skittles 100
• Trail mix 200
• Zero-calories sausage 120
• Trail mix 200
• Skittles 100
• Fritos 200
• Dehydrated beef 190
• Ramen 510
• Fritos 150
• Water liters 6
• Miles 17.6
• Time 10
• Elevation gain 3341
• Calories consumed 3700
• Calories burned 7500