After our fun-filled evening of whiskey tasting and sightseeing we got to bed around 11pm for our few hours of sleep before the 7:30 shuttle pick-up to take us back to the trail. Let me tell you, sleeping in a bed is luxurious! What a great (but short) sleep we had.
Also, I GOT DONUTS! Laurens ran (literally) to the Donut Friar to bring donuts back for everyone. I was so happy. It was a 2 mile round trip! What a great guy!
The hike to this shelter was intense! We hiked over Clingman's dome, the highest point on the AT, in rainy, misty and cloudy weather. It also happened to be the rockiest and most arduous climb we've had yet. Unfortunately as it was (and still is) raining we got absolutely no view for our troubles. However since Jon Jamie and I got there before Laurens and Rachel we walked down to the Visitors Center to warm up. While there was no seating, food or general amenities there we did have a nice time talking with all the rangers and volunteers there. I looked up (and promptly forgot) the names of all the flowers we've been seeing, chatted with a woman who is obsessed with the AT and wants to thru-hike next year when she is 64, and chatted extensively with a ranger about traveling abroad.
The shelter tonight is pretty fun. There's 5 thru-hikers here, two other section hikers and us. Very fun group. One woman, upon hearing that Jamie and I were finishing our Thru-hike, toasted up 2 of her five marshmallows to share with us! Her name is Fiddlehead, she started in Georgia May3rd, she's finishing her Anthropology Degree and we really hope she has an excellent hike on the AT! Everyone at the shelter loves the Ukulele and lots of people have been playing it tonight. I've enjoyed hearing the musical ministrations. Overall, despite the rain, fog and cold it's been a great day.
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