Did a tough 6.7 miles to the first shelter. My right forearm started cramping up really bad, and I thought it must have something to do with my poles. Then the pain started spreading to my back and shoulder. I suddenly realized how much harder it is to hike when you’re in pain. Made me grateful for the fact that I haven’t suffered from blisters, shinsplits, and other maladies to date.
Got to the shelter and re-adjusted my pack, which seemed to help the situation. We were now entering the stretch of terrain known as the “Damascus death march,” because these fairly flat 33 miles can be hiked in a day. In the heat, though, nothing is that easy. Got to the second shelter, had lunch, and took a short break before pushing on the final eight miles (bringing us to a grand total of 21.7).
Made it to our destination around 7. The shelter was empty, except for a couple from North Carolina tenting nearby. They were very nice, and had lots of questions about thru hiking. The sky got very dark; then came the thunder and the rain. Luckily, we and all our gear stayed dry in the shelter. A very brazen mouse was darting around before nightfall, which wasn’t promising.
Too tired to do any writing, so we crashed around 9:30. During the night, I felt something tugging on my hair – that darn mouse must have been looking for some nesting material. So on went the thick fleece hat.
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