April 22

Wintry mix

We slept in late.  Like 830.  Didn't leave the shelter until 10 or so.  Putting on wet, cold clothes again.  Awesome.  As soon as you get up and hiking again though, you warm up.  There's a shelter a few miles out, but I'm hoping I can tent tonight and that the worst of the weather has blown over.  This was not the case however.  Rain started up again.  Jacket on, pack cover on.  The trail was pretty easy going though.  Just a lot of little ups and downs.  Then a big climb up to Lick Rock.  The climbing kept me plenty warm, but zapped my breakfast energy, so I sat down on a wet log for an early lunch.  As we headed back down the trail, we kept hearing motors buzzing all around.  Pretty soon we had to get off the trail to make way for a dirt bike, and 5 ATVs!  They aren't supposed to be on the AT.  There were tons of side trails that criss-crossed these mountains, where it would be fine to use motor vehicles.  The trail was already saturated, and they tore it up pretty bad.  Sad to see.  We pulled into Hogback Ridge shelter around 4pm, and debated pushing on.  The next shelter was another 10 miles, so that put us in around 9pm.  But it also would mean climbing over 1000 feet higher in elevation up to Bald Mountain.  There was no guarantee the shelter would have spots, and no guarantee the rain would let up.  Smartly decided to call it a day, even though I'd only covered 8.8 miles.  Started to boil some water for dinner, and ran out of fuel.  So, instead I used the luke warm water to add to my beverage, and ate a cold 'snack' meal.  Then the temperature dropped and the rain turned to sleet, then to snow.  Slims was with us in the shelter, and this was his first snow experience.  They don't get much snow in Barbados, haha.  My clothes were just damp at this point, so I threw my socks, underwear, shirt, and shorts into the bottom of my sleeping bag.  Overnight my body heat will dry them out.  That's the plan at least.  All seven of us in the six person shelter were asleep at sundown, as the snow continued to fall.

Snow at Hogback Ridge.