(Rich Mountain Camp (mile 283.3) - Jerry's Cabin Shelter (mile 301.8))

The night was very cold and I ended up sleeping in until 8:30am. I took my time getting out of camp and didn’t start hiking until almost 10am. The ground had frozen during the night and the trail was crunchy under foot. My plan was to hike about 16 miles and find a stealth campsite somewhere in the vicinity of Big Firescald Knob, a long ridge with apparently beautiful views.

The morning was pleasant and the hiking was chill. After 2.5 miles, I reached Spring Mountain Shelter, where I briefly stopped for water. After another 4 miles, I reached Allen Gap, where I noticed a small group of hikers gathered around a table. It looked like trail magic! Sure enough, as I approached, I was greeted by a flamboyantly dressed older woman who introduced herself as Marlene. She led me to a white folding table packed full of food and supplies. Fresh fruit, gummies, chips, pastries, meat packets, hand sanitizer, and more… basically anything a hiker might want from a trail angel. Marlene explained that she was retired and spent much of her pre-COVID time as a volunteer chaplain at a local jail. I thanked Marlene for her kindness and she gave me a print out of a poem she had written about the Roan Highlands.

After another 4 miles, I stopped on a ridge to take a break, air my feet out, and elevate my legs against a tree. I had some cell service, so I called AC and we chatted for a while. I then ate a late lunch and prepared my dinner to start soaking. As I was preparing my dinner, a tall lanky guy strode by on the trail. He looked like a marathon runner and I asked where he was heading. We were about a mile away from Little Laurel Shelter, so I assumed he might be heading there. He explained that he was actually pushing to the NEXT shelter, Jerry’s Cabin Shelter, about 8.5 miles away. It was mid afternoon at this point, so I was surprised. I asked the man where he started today and I probably gawked when he responded “Hot Springs!” I told him that I was planning to camp on Big Firescald Knob, so maybe I’d see him down the trail. I fully expected to never see him again.

After a quick mile, I stopped at Little Laurel Shelter for water. It was getting later in the day, but I still had my hopes set on finding a stealth spot somewhere along Big Firescald Knob, so I decided to hike on. After some climbing, I met a southbound day hiker who warned me there were no tent sites up on the ridge. This was discouraging, but I figured that I could at least stop right before or right after the knob. I hiked on and was surprised to catch up to the tall marathon-runner-looking-guy. He wasn’t hiking all that fast, so I passed him.

I continued climbing and soon encountered a middle-aged gentleman accompanied by two huge bloodhounds. The man introduced himself by the trail name “Bloodhound” and explained that he was a trail angel hiking out to Little Laurel Shelter to spread a little magic. His two dogs were trained emotional support animals and his large pack contained a cooler filled with ice cream and root beer on dry ice. He was going to be serving root beer floats at the shelter. My decision to hike on was clearly a mistake😭 As a consolation, Bloodhound offered me a Snickers bar and I gladly accepted it. I thanked him and we parted ways.

As Bloodhound hiked away, the tall marathon-runner-looking-guy caught up and I asked if he would like a hiking partner for the afternoon. He gladly accepted my offer and introduced himself as “Push.” Apparently, Push earned his trail name because he always says he’s “just gonna’ push to the next shelter.” Push hiked big miles. He started his morning in Hot Springs. He planned to make it to Jerry’s Cabin Shelter. He was doing a 27 mile day😨

As we hiked, I enjoyed getting to know Push. He explained that he was a physician from Hartford, Connecticut. He had worked in a hospital, doing research and performing elective surgeries. Unfortunately, the pandemic eliminated any demand for elective surgery and he was laid off. Around the same time, Push’s father died, which left him in a bit of an existential crisis. He competed as an amateur endurance athlete for years. First in Ironman triathlons, then as a marathon runner, and finally as an ultra-marathon runner. He has run more marathons than he can count and is trying to run a marathon in every state. He also took part in a 24 hour ultra-marathon where he ran 101 miles. The AT seemed like a fitting challenge.

Junction for a side trail to avoid hiking over Firescald Knobside in bad weather

After passing a bad weather bypass, we made our way up the ridge to Big Firescald Knob. The trail became very rocky and the footing became technical. We broke treeline and the ridge erupted into a jagged knife edge. Definitely not a great place for stealth camping! As we hiked along the knob, I found myself torn between watching my feet to ensure secure footing and soaking in the beautiful sights. We reached a lookout called Howard’s Rock and I stopped to appreciate the views while push recorded a daily video log for his son.

View from the knife edge ridge of Firescald Knob

We passed Super Mom and Super Girl on the knob and began our descent from the knife edge. At one point Push’s feet slipped out from under him and he landed hard on his butt. He was ok, though.

As we made our way back into the treeline, a barred owl swooped over us and perched above the trail, eyeing us suspiciously. We watched the owl. The owl watched us. Push inched closer to get a good photo with his phone camera. The owl let him get maybe 30 feet away before flying off🦉

Spotted this barred owl on the climb down from Firescald Knob

Shortly after our owl encounter, I noticed an odd assortment of rocks on the ground next to the trail. I tilted my head and let out a gasp. We had made it to mile 300! I hadn’t been planning to hit this landmark today, but hiking with Push had given me a second wind🏃💨

After a final ~2 miles Push and I made it to Jerry's Cabin Shelter at about 7:40pm. As I approached the shelter I was surprised to find Katie, Jasmine, Excel, Caroline, Tyler, and Carly all sitting around the campfire! Apparently it was Katie's 21st birthday and everyone had little party hats on🥳

I ate my dinner at the campfire with everyone else. I signed a birthday card for Katie with a haiku and Jasmine surprised everyone by serving a key lime pie she had packed out from Hot Springs! After some time catching up with folks and enjoying the festivities, I retired to bed at 9:20pm feeling tired after my unexpected 18.5 mile day. My longest day yet!

Jerry's Cabin Shelter after my longest day of hiking yet