Day 40 - Saunders Shelter to Thomas Knob Shelter

Slept well last night. It started out cold, but I ended up being plenty warm in my sleeping bag inside the tent. No rain.

Got up and out by about 8:15. Had to walk the quarter-mile back to the trail, and there was a convenient blue blaze heading to the trail north. Without much debate, we decided to take it. Are we blue blazers now? It was no more than two-tenths of a mile of trail that we missed. And we did walk to the shelter from the trail, then back to the trail from the shelter. No biggie.

A deer ran across the trail just in front of us. Did six miles to the first shelter before taking a break. Even though it was only 11, Dave ate lunch. That, to me, wasn’t a good sign for a relatively high mileage day.

Got to the top of Whitetop and hung out for a bit. The sky was threatening and the air getting colder. Reached some campsites, and it started to sprinkle. Dig, Ebb, and Stray Cat decided to tent it. I was pleasantly surprised that Dave agreed to go on to the shelter on top of Mount Rogers – 6 ½ more miles. The walking wasn’t bad at all.

I prefer the cool air, even drizzle, to walking in the sweltering heat. Oh, on the way to Whitetop, we went through a cow pasture, and a big brown cow chased Stray Cat for about 20 yards or so. Would have made a great picture!

By the time we got to the shelter, it was foggy, drizzly, and getting cold. Dave and I decided to set up shop in the loft. There was a small window with duct-taped plexiglass hanging off. Cold air blowing in. 

Met Patch Monkey, who was nice. Tried to read, but my hands were so cold I eventually gave up.

Slept surprisingly well – even had to take off a few layers during the night. Slept in (til 8, I think) because it was dark in the loft.