I awoke to a steady rain as I showered and then put the final items in my backpack before making the short walk to the local diner where I enjoyed a nice, big breakfast. It doesn’t take long, when I am back in the south, to embrace my southern heritage when it comes to food. Bacon, eggs, grits, biscuits and jelly made for a hearty start to my first day on the trail.

My driver, Larry, picked me up promptly at 9:00 am and we made the drive to Grayson Highlands State Park on twisting, turning roads littered with fallen trees on the shoulders from Hurricane Helene. Larry was a character, and I barely got a word in edge wise. But I can tell you just about anything you want to know about his wife (Julie) and their 5 children – especially the one who is currently in jail in Florida! He was the nicest guy and told me if I have any problems to call him “even if it is 2:00 in the morning and I will come and get you!” You can’t ask for much more than that and those final words earned him a nice tip.

After exiting the vehicle I made my way to the entry area into the park. By this time the rain had stopped and the skies were partly cloudy.Waiting to greet me were a small group of wild ponies that this part of the AT is well known for. They looked healthy and pretty. I met a couple from Georgia who were there for a day hike and I took a picture of them. They then returned the favor to me. I then began the hike up the mountain to find the AT trail, which only took 15 or 20 minutes. 

Noticeably different on this hike, versus my prior one, is the absence of other hikers. 4 hikers passed me going south and those were the only people I saw the entire day. Even the 2 shelters I passed were completely empty. While this is not a surprise, as most northbound thru-hikers have either completed the trail or will do so in the next few weeks, I did think that I might encounter more than just four.

The hike today went well but it was very slow and steady. Much of the trail was covered with stones and tree roots, both of which were slippery as ice from the earlier rain showers. I slipped and stumbled many times but never fell. The elevation gain and loss was moderate over the duration of my hike. I was surprised to see that many trees are at their peak, in terms of fall colors, and that there were so many leaves on the trail. In some areas I had to stop and look very closely at the surroundings to make sure I was still on the trail. Throughout the day the temperature was comfortable and there was often a breeze blowing. 

Because I ate such a big breakfast I did not feel hungry at lunch and only ate a handful of of trail mix and some cheese-its. I will dig into my food bag shortly to see what seems good for dinner. As there have been several bear incidents in my area recently I will need to hang my food sack from a tree limb after I finish eating, which is a bit of an aggravation…but necessary.

I made my camp just off the trail this evening as I finished my hike in between shelter locations. My tent is on a nice flat surface and I must be near a highway as I can hear cars passing in the distance. While there were almost no bugs to speak of throughout the day, I somehow managed to pick a tent site where the mosquitoes seemed to be plentiful – forcing me to stay in my tent from 5:00 pm until morning. Throughout the day there has been limited cell service and there is none at my camp site. So, this posting will be delayed a day or two until I can again access a cellphone signal.