Magic in the Mountains

April 26, 2021 (20.7 miles)

Hogback Ridge Shelter – No Business Shelter

Today felt like it was never going to end… physically it was tough but mentally it was grueling. I didn’t sleep much because my brand new sleeping pad kept deflating (hoping it was operator error and not a hole…) but I woke up ready to tackle a big day. The morning was great- it was beautiful and felt so good out.

Bug Bite and I climbed out of Sam’s Gap together and I was super proud of myself because it didn’t feel as hard as my last day hike there. Things were going great until we hit a mental wall. Thank goodness Dumb Horse came along and helped get us out of the rut. The climb up Big Bald was way harder than I remembered but the views from the top were well worth it. I ate lunch on top with Bug Bite, Wilson, Creature, Dumb Horse, Rocket, and Good Sam and it was the highlight of my day.

11ish miles after lunch felt doable and like a welcome challenge- except that it totally kicked my butt. The trail was beautiful, but the steep uphills and never ending descent really took it out of me. It didn’t help that morale was low, but thankfully we got trail magic about 5 miles from the shelter from Rob in his “Casper Van”.

The last 5 miles was okay terrain wise but it took so long. We got to camp around 7ish (very late). I am ready for Erwin.