2017 Appalachian Hike

Today was both long and beautiful. I went 26.3 miles. 

I was on the trail by 6:15 this morning. So was Panda. She heard me getting up and decided it would be a good idea to start early. 

Surprisingly she kept up with me all morning. She wears sandals for her footwear. She also used bamboo poles instead of trekking poles. That’s how she got the name Panda. 

The morning was foggy and it rained off and on. It was pretty uneventful except for an old one room school house. 

About lunch time we went through the tiny town of Atkins Virginia. Panda needed to stop and get supplies, so I pushed on alone. 

The afternoon was beautiful. Both the weather and the scenery. I took a lot of pictures.  

I also hit the 1/4 done mark. Hard to believe it’s going this fast. 

I didn’t get to camp until about 6:30 so I had to hurry to set up my tent, eat and filter water before it got dark. Engineer came rolling in a few minutes behind me. The shelter was already full and there are lots of tents set up here. Engineer and Maple Syrup are the only ones I know here tonight. Engineer said Panda stopped at a hostel. 

I tried calling Amy and couldn’t get a signal. 

Sorry no gear review tonight. I’m already dosing as I type this. I’m tired.