Day 43

Weather:
High winds and rain

Today’s Hike:
Over Mountain Shelter to Mountain Harbor B&B - 9.5 miles

Today was insane. There really are no other words to describe it.

The rain started somewhere around 4am. By 5am the wind had picked up and the sides of tents were blowing inward. By 6:30am we were both awake and decided it was time to get off the mountain. We were on the trail by 7:20am.

As I climbed up the side trail to get back onto the AT, the wind was getting stronger. Within an 8th of a mile the wind was blowing so hard that my pack cover had blown off and hiking upright was not possible. I thought to myself that we wouldn’t be exposed for lond, and soon I would be under tree cover to help block the wind. About a mile into the trail we reached some flat ground and found ourselves under the safety of trees which was blocking the wind. Relief. However, my relief was temporary. After about a hundred yards of hiking in comfort (I use this term loosely)we reached Little Hump Mountain, and the treacherous 3 mile hike across an open bald began. The wind was insane; way beyond anything I had hiked through yet. Twice I was lifted up and thrown at least 10 feet of the trail. I was being knocked down to my knees. At some point I thought I could just crawl. Nope, that was also impossible also.

After about 2 miles of this I started thinking to myself that this was insane. What in the heck was I doing out here? What sane person is out in something like this? Even the weather people who report on hurricanes find shelter in this kind of wind. We were nuts. Needless to say I had had enough of being tossed around like a rag doll. In other words, I had surpassed being mortified by the weather and was just plan pissed. I dug my trekking poles into the ground and bolted. I was still being tossed around like a rag doll, but now I was a rag doll on a mission. I passed Muster, and gave her a quick glance. I was rather pissed at her since she decided to fend for herself and leave me behind in such arduous conditions. Great teamwork. She pointed to her rain pants that were ripped up the inner seam from the windstorm. I continued forward. By 10:30am we were back in the safety of the forest. Relief again. It would be all down hill from there.

We reached Mountain Harbour B&B just after noon. I showered, ate, and chilled out for the rest of the day. The Packadivas and the Tag Team soon joined us around 4pm. We ate pizzas, drank Fat Tire beer, and watched movies for the rest of the evening.