Hi friends!
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Today was the WORST rainy day I've had so far. Join me as Swampy and I hike 13.3mi (and then some, including the walk up Clingmans Dome and the half mile trek to the shelter for the night) through the freezing cold rain and blistering winds. As the trail slowly turned into a river, I submitted to the rain and plowed right through the center of it. Turns out, no gear is "waterproof" out here on the AT. Everything, and I DO mean everything, will wet out. I'm just grateful that the temperatures today weren't lower than 45°! As Swampy and I neared the summit where the Clingman's Dome ramp was, the rain became incredibly cold and the winds picked up. My soggy feet ached and seemed to get colder with each step I took in the massive puddles of water on trail. Swampy convinced me that we should go up the ramp to the top of the dome and so I went. Having my face whiplashed by the wind up there, we briefly looked around and got back down within treeline as quickly as we could. Then we beelined towards the shelter and were happily surprised to find the folks within had been tending a fire! We were able to dry off and warm up by the fire after such a hard day in the elements. Truly a test of my own will and I often thought about how I would have fared if Swampy wasn't with me this day. Would I have shelter-zeroed like many others? Would I have stopped at that first shelter? Or would I have been able to push myself to make it as far as I did? Would I have skipped Clingman's Dome? Well, there's no sense in dwelling on these questions as the reality is that I DID make it. Thanks to the comradery I had with Swampy and his silly jokes, it made today much less horrible. Turns out, the people on the AT really are the best part of it. :)
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P.S. Special thanks to @swampyhiker for accompanying me through the three toughest weather days I've had on trail so far. You helped motivate me and kept me laughing and I'm incredibly grateful to have met you. Happy Trails!
19 май 2024
