Kevin's AT Thru Hike

Day 37, Friday, 4/22 – Breakfast was included with the hostel stay, which exceeded expectations. Everyone got a plate with scrambled eggs, potatoes, a pancake, and a biscuit with gravy. As I was eating breakfast at the bar, packages were delivered to the hostel. The package from the Ross family came! Everyone at the hostel got a cookie with their coffee, they were a huge hit. Thank you!

After breakfast, the hostel shuttled us back to the trail. Suspenders and Droplet are zeroing today, and look pretty happy about it.

Genie, Splitzy, Birthday Sandwich, Sprite, Willow, and I all hiked as a group today. The hike out of the Station was relatively easy; there were no major climbs today. We made it to mile 400! Mile 400 was near a road crossing, so Willow stopped here and officially got off trail.

It was a nice hike today. There were 2 substantial waterfalls and a lot of stream crossings. I also saw my first snake on trail today. It was a rat snake and was about 4’ long. I also found a gnome home in the nook between some mossy rocks. Apparently gnomes can be found along the AT.

All in all I hiked 18 miles to Moreland Gap Shelter, which is at mile 413. Even though the trail was tame from an elevation perspective, I still rolled into camp fatigued. I didn’t get to camp until 7:00, so it was dark by the time I finished my chores and ate dinner. I’m hammock camping tonight for the first time. The weather is mild, so it’s a good first day to test out the new gear.