I get dropped off at the trail a little after 8, and it’s quite a road walk before I get to the woods.
More aggressive dogs. They get pretty close, unnervingly so, but the steady pace keeps them at bay.
One doggo eventually runs off, but then comes back with his posse. Everyone needs to see this new threat, I guess. They stay 6 feet away, probably due to Covid.
Very responsible dogs.
As I turn off the road, I meet a couple and their pupper finishing up their southbound hike.
This is their first thru hike, and they’re trying to figure out how to go lighter. It has thus far eluded them, but they’re getting there.
They ask about my pack.
Of course, I detail how great it is.
It’s nice to get off the road and into the woods, but after a while, it becomes clear that there will be very little change for the foreseeable future.
The hills roll up and down, for hours on end, until I’m thankful to see a road.
I’ve got one hour to climb up another hill and find a campsite.
A heavy fog has wandered in, and it’s scheduled to start raining soon. In about a quarter of a mile from a truck parking spot, but I hear no humans - let’s hope it stays that way.
Tucked away in my bivy with my new 7 R value sleeping pad, I should be toasty warm tonight.
The droplets start to fall, and I close the mesh, drifting off to sleep on the Pinhoti trail.
18.2 miles Camped right past bulls gap0829