- 'The Plan' was to slackpack 26 mi... Money would be exchanged for a ride 26 miles north of the city. Hearts would be dropped off & hike back SOUTH toward Damascus. More money would be exchanged for another ride back up the trail to resume hiking Tuesday morning. So... many miles could be covered (because his gear would stay behind) & a warm bed would be waiting at the end of the day!
- Let me fast-forward... rain, wet snow, sleet, hail... plethora of precip in Damascus meant all kinds of snow in the mountains & nobody willing to brave the storm. Instead - he had to take another zero day.
- Pizza buffet, post office, pineapple phone (??), lots of cards with the fellas (Spades - go figure).
- OH! & Naked Ron showed up at The Place last night - out of nowhere!!
4/15/08 - Finally done with Damascus - time to move on!
- Started the day with Snoopy & hiked 15 mi by 3 pm to Lost Mountain Shelter.
- Decided to go a little further & setup tarp for the night...
- A little further wound up being higher in elevation...
- Higher in elevation meant lots of snow...
- Lots of snow meant nowhere to camp...
- Nowhere to camp meant pushing onward an additional 13 miles to the next shelter...
- Night hike: Arrived at Thomas Knob Shelter around 9:45 pm!!
- Today's total = 28 miles! (Prompted really bad shin splint in right leg.)
- Trip up the mountain reminded him of the winter wonderland he & Isaac hiked in the Smokys. Someone even built a snowman - which I was told he had some fun with (curious to see those pictures...).
- Found a thermometer that read 20 degrees right before (what he described as an incredible) sunset... and then he climbed an additional 1,000 ft. - brrrr!!
- So, he's in store for probably one of the most bitter nights of his life... Slackpacking seems so silly now. No need for a warm bed when a three-sided fort on the eastern flank Mt. Rogers will do...
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