“Life is better in hiking boots.”
April 20, 2022
AT miles: 16.4
Ascent: 2458’
Descent: 2326’
Weather: sunny with temps in the high 50’s
Sightings: 3 deer and lots of hikers
High points: Successfully climbing the extremely steep ascent up to the shelter
Rice Field Shelter was amazing. We saw a gorgeous sunset last night, and this morning we saw an awe-inspiring sunrise.
After a leisurely breakfast, we set off. The trail continued up Peters Mtn (3880’), following an open ridge line with open vistas and gorgeous views. We even walked by an apple orchard, way high up.
My hiking partner wanted me to go ahead alone, so I spent most of the day hiking solo but seeing lots of thru-hikers.
The views from the ridge along Peters Mtn were amazing.
And the hiking was delightful!
After about 8 miles of ridge walking the trail did a fairly rapid descent for about two miles through a pine forest so the trail was nice and soft to walk on.
Three days ago a winter storm had come through this area, bringing cold temperatures and several inches of snow. Despite today’s warm temperatures, I could still see some snow in the shady areas.
The trail followed a lot of streams, some little and some big. One has the odd name “Dismal Branch“! I managed to keep my boots more or less dry despite all the stream crossings.
The last two miles of today’s 16 mile hike was brutal — a serious uphill at the end of a long day. I stopped often to catch my breath.
About 0.1 mile from the shelter I had to drop my pack and climb down 0.1 miles to a stream for water. Having worked so hard to climb UP, having to climb DOWN was disheartening. I had difficulty following the blue blaze trail, but thanks to my GPS app I did manage to find my way back to the AT.
The final uphill slog to the shelter was a slog, but I made it! I’ve been eating and listening to thru-hiker humor for the past two hours. There are about 12 thruhikers here, a few of them folks I met at last night’s shelter.
Today is a great day for a long walk in the woods!
What a lovely day! I can just imagine how crisp and refreshing the air must have felt.