Renovated Rocky Run

Good chat last night with Historian and Nurse, two thru hikers who have just started their AT wanderings. Slightly unusual backgrounds! Historian is retired USAF/retired computer tech whose spouse is running ground support for him; Nurse is a midcareer mom with five young ones and an ailing parent to care for. She decided to do the Trail, told her spouse that he had the watch for at least the next three weeks, possibly longer if she holds to her plans to make Katahdin.

Halfway through our conversation, I realized that they were looking to me as a grizzled expert in the arts of the Trail, so I inserted several "I'm just stumbling around here myself" disclaimers. Interesting discussion of cookstove pros and cons, which led me to thinking about replacing my untrustworthy Jetboil® with another brand.

We managed to get on the trail by 11:15, but were still too late to avoid an afternoon rain squall. Crampton Gap was the first available shelter, so we hurried there and called it a day.

A couple was having lunch at the shelter, planning to move on when the rain eased. They left Springer on January 1, and intend to complete the Triple Crown - the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Coast Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail in one year!

While we were hiking, Sean observed that while Virginia's mountains don't look that tall, the trail keeps going up ... then, there's not even anything special to see or do when you get there. He also observed this evening that despite my warnings, he has yet to have a mouse run across his sleeping bag. Disappointing.