Day 79
Start: Cornelius Creek Shelter
End: Big Cove Branch
Miles Hiked: 16
Miles on AT: 783.4
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It’s a beautiful morning today. Last night, I got out of my tent for a nighttime pee and, wow, the full moon was so bright! It shone like a lightbulb in the sky, its brilliance illuminating the midnight forest almost like daylight.
Janitor and I had breakfast with a few bees and wasps in the mix. A couple of them got too close and stung him. Ouch!
About a mile into our morning hike, we stopped at Black Rock Overlook and weren’t disappointed in the least. The expansive view of the mountains in the distance also brought with it a cool, refreshing breeze, something very welcome now that it’s hot and muggy out.
After a few minutes, we got back onto the trail and back into the stagnant air. We had to climb for a while and it was a bit slow-going, but we made it. We stopped for our second breakfast near the Federal Aviation Administration tower perched on top of the mountain. It looked like a huge white soccer ball on a pedestal. We didn’t explore it too much, instead focusing on eating our food while fighting the flies.
We made our way down and passed under the Guillotine, a precariously positioned rock that seemed like it could fall at any moment. But, we survived. As the day was continuing to warm up, we took a break at a slow moving stream, but only stayed long enough to collect water because the sun was beating down on us. There was no reprieve from the heat.
Soon, we reached our last climb of the day of about 700 feet. The elevation gain didn’t sound too bad, but it was rough. First of all, this area had been burned and was sooty. The lack of adequate tree coverage meant that the climb was hot! The sun beat down on me and the rocks that I wanted to rest on were too hot to be comfortable. Plus, it was a steep climb. I had to take several breaks and was grateful for the extra water I decided to carry.
Once I got to the top, I sat and waited for Janitor and after about 20 minutes he showed us, hot and panting just like I was. We were more than ready to get to camp but we still had a number of miles to complete.
Luckily, most of the rest of our day was flat or downhill on smooth trail. But, again, it was a hot one due to fire damage and lack of tree coverage. As we got closer to our campsite, I looked down and could see the James River.
This was a sight near to my heart because my family has had land on the James River for generations. The property started out wild and was hard to access, but with hardwork and dedication, my family made it into something that generations have used for cookouts and family gatherings. Seeing a part of the river that has been so important to my family made me feel a little closer to them.
Finally, we reached our campsite. Janitor rested for a bit and then we soaked our feet in the cool waters of the stream nearby. It was so nice, I didn’t want to leave. But, we had camp chores to complete and dinner to cook. It was a little warm where we were camping, so tonight we left the tent doors open to get a little bit of airflow.
And that’s day 79.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.