Appalachian Trail: Day 42
Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. All the gear mentioned in this post was purchased by me at retail prices. I have no affiliations with any of the companies or brands mentioned.
This morning was cold but a good hike. I knocked out the 4 miles to Hughes Gap in about an hour and a half. It was really nice.
Unfortunately, that's where the niceness of the trail ended. After Hughes Gap, the trail climbed for the next 4 miles. And climbed. I did make decent time though. Bard and Glimmer caught up to me near the first summit.
We had a nice lunch together and got our ride to Damascus for Trail Days sorted out. From there, we climbed more. I caught up with them near the second summit because they had gone down a blue blaze to look at some old ruins. From there I was able to keep up with them for the rest of the day.
We got into Carvers Gap around 2:30, so we had an hour to wait for our shuttle to arrive. We spent the time resting near the privy at the gap and chatting with other hikers also waiting on rides.
We shuttled into Damascus, setup out tents in Tent City, and caught up with other hikers we haven't seen in a while.
I met She-ra, an amazing trans hiker who has hiked the trail multiple times. Finally, went to dinner with Bard, Glimmer, and Moonstone. Tomorrow starts the 3 days of Trail Days festivities.