Day thirty-four

On the trail

I got up early but messed around and didn’t leave camp until 10:00. While I was getting water, Ken came down to get water and I visited with him. He’s a biologist. He’s also heading to Erwin, TN., then stopping. Now that I am no longer a thru-hiker I have become a section hiker and I’m hiking between Hot Springs, NC and Erwin, TN. I’m fortunate to have Rangely and Ken to camp with at night. It was another long hot day. I don’t like hiking in this heat. I saw two deer at different times, a snail and lots of Bolete mushrooms.

I had pulled something in my groin so I took it easy most of the day. I also managed to work up a blister. All this time on the trail and this is my first blister. I got to Little Laurel Shelter hot and exhausted after 8.4 miles and I don’t know how much climbing. I got water. At least it was running better here than at the last shelter.  I set up my tent. The ground really is more comfortable than those shelters.  Had a bite to eat, ramen noodles. They weren’t bad since I haven’t had any for a month or more. I visited with Ken and Rangely and called it an early night and went right to sleep in spite of those noisy crickets.

I think I got a nap today. I straddled a log and leaned back on my pack. I closed my eyes and sat real still to catch the breeze, and then I dreamed! Yep, it was definitely a nap.

I smoked my last cigarette Monday, July 23, 2012.

*Editor’s note: Dear Tripper, you misspelled cigarette in your notes to me, so if you can’t spell it, you don’t need to be smoking it. Love, Editor