April 8, 2017trekwithpat

April 7: we woke up on the mountain with 20 mile an hour winds and 35 degrees. Boy, you don’t stick around long! Joes knee was feeling pretty good today so we did 15 miles with moderate up and downs. The weather was cold and windy but dry for a change. We hiked up to another mountain top shelter and found freezing high winds again. So we decided (me, Joe, music man, flower girl, and clover) to keep going down the other side of the mountain at unicoi gap. We are doing a little stealth camping i.e. not authorized area. It’s nice, we built a fire and the winds are much better. It will still get under 40 tonight, but that’s much better than mountain.

April 6, 2017trekwithpat

April 6: Ok, it’s really fucking cold. We shuttled back to Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap. A really cool outfitter on tha trail. We hiked for about 7 miles and had to pull up early because Joes knee really was sore. Hiking in the rain and snow was ok because it keeps you warm. Sitting still in your tent with high winds, rain and snow is really cold. The folks with hammocks are really unhappy right now. I’m in all my cloths, sleeping bag liner, and 20 degree bag and it’s freezing. I can’t imagine the hammock folks. Gear note: sleeping bag liner is a must. Wish I had brought a stocking hat. Tomorrow it is supposed to warm into the 40s. Happy trails.