Whitley Gap Shelter to Blue Mountain Shelter

Pooh wanted in a picture with me.

Another panorama.

So, I got up this morning and was on the trail by 0730ish. It was 1.2 miles from the cabin back to the intersection of the AT, then about 12 miles to Blue Mountain Shelter. I arrived here at 1430 and was greeted by a large party of people, including one who is thru hiking, too, named Mitch. He started on Wednesday but is significantly ahead of me, well, until now. He took a zero day here at Blue Mountain Shelter. I don't think I will be taking zero days in a shelter. If I'm going to waste a day of hiking, it's going to be in a town or somewhere I can get good and a real bed. Granted he's in college, so he's not encumbered by the old age issues I have. Nevertheless, I still wouldn't zero day it in a shelter!

Mitch did show me his phone charger, a Bushnell solar charger that rolls up. He said it works well in low light and keeps his phone charged, and you can get it from Amazon. Anyone want to buy me a hiking present?!

Between yesterday and today a couple of things happened. Last night we stacked up wood in the fire ring and started a fire. After the fire started going a bit, a rattlesnake crawled out of the rocks of the firepit. A guy who came in with his kids wrapped the snake up on a stick and dropped him off way out in the woods so he could go find a new group of people to torment. So, there wash first rattlesnake of the trip.

As I was leaving the shelter this morning, I got about 0.3 or so miles up the trail, turned a corner and found myself about 20 ft from a black bear. I think I got out "oh, sh*t!" And the the bear took off up the hill until the woods. Needless to say it freaked me out a little. I spent most of the rest of my hike today talking to myself and singing songs to give the bears a heads-up that I was coming.

Other than that, I really didn't have any grand thoughts today.  A large portion of the trail was very rocky and I found myself exerting much more energy than I would have liked to get over them.

I'm going to rest tonight, get up in the morning and then determine how far I am going to hike.  I would like to go to Dicks Creek Gap, but at 19 miles with many significant changes in elevation, I just don't know if I'm up for that much. I will probably end up in a shelter somewhere between here and there, but I think when I get to Dicks Creek Gap, I'll probably stay in the hostel there that night just for a shower and a comfortable bed. I may not, depends on how things go.  Either way, I'll fill you in.