(US Route 60 (mile 809.1) - The Priest Shelter (mile 829.7))

I woke up this morning to the sound of a riding lawnmower doing laps outside my tent. Not quite as peaceful as chirping birds, but it was an effective alarm. I quickly packed my things inside my tent. After brushing mower cuttings off my rainfly, I finished packing and made my way to the bathroom pavilion to use the facilities one last time before my shuttle arrived.

Mithril the Guide pulled into the parking lot at 8:10. Again, he unexpectedly agreed to swing through the Hardees drive-thru on the way out of town so I could grab some breakfast. Hardees screwed up my order. I ordered a loaded breakfast burrito, which is on their online menu, but apparently they do not carry them in Buena Vista, so I settled for a bacon egg burrito. Then I ordered for a sausage and egg biscuit, and they gave me a sausage biscuit. Oh well, I thought. It’s calories either way, and it would fuel me up the big climb up from Long Mountain Wayside.

I was dropped off at trailhead, thanked Mithril, and began 3 miles of climbing to the summit of Bald Knob. This will be my shortest day in a while. I’m looking to hike just over 20 miles to The Priest Shelter, which should put me about 6-7 miles from the road where Katie’s mom is going to meet us tomorrow morning. Given that I’d only be out a day and a half before my next resupply opportunity, my pack was full of luxury food items. My lunch plan was half a baguette, cheese, Cheez-its, mango, and avocado. I was very excited🤤

It started sprinkling as I neared the top of Bald Knob. After about five false summits, one of which actually offered a nice view, I finally reached the top. Despite the name, the summit of Bald Knob was completely wooded and I was not rewarded with any more views. I consoled myself with the knowledge that I had just completed about a third of the days climbing.

From the look of things, it seemed that the light rain would hang around for a while. After a steep descent into Cow Camp Gap, I began the much shorter and more gradual climb up Cole Mountain. Along the climb, I was treated to two rocky outcrops with nice views to the west. Cole Mountain itself was a bald ridge with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. The gray skies set a moody tone.

The skies sprinkled on and off for the next 9 miles as I crossed over the meadow-like ridges of Cole Mountain and Tar Jacket Ridge. The hiking was easy and I was treated to lots of lovely views through this section. I made it to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter, just as the sprinkling stopped and the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. I stopped to enjoy my gourmet lunch and took my time to savored every bite.

After I finished lunch, the rain started up again, this time with a vengeance. I made a rush for the privy just as the hail started. Inside the privy, the hail was deafening. Each piece of ice hit the tin roof with a loud metallic PANG! Fortunately, the hail stopped after a couple minutes and the sun came back out. I started hiking again after spending almost an hour and a half at the shelter. No regrets😁

The weather continued its indecisive swings between sprinkling, hail, and sun for rest of the day. After 2.5 miles, I arrived at the short side trail to Spy Rock, an open, rocky dome with spectacular views in all directions. Spy Rock must be a popular spot because there were ropes reminding curious hikers to stay off the vulnerable vegetation near the rock’s summit. I appreciated the views for a few minutes, but was feeling restless to continue.

I had about 4 miles until The Priest Shelter. I wasn’t sure exactly what “The Priest” was, but I assumed it was a big rock formation or cliff. I kept my eyes open as I entered the Priest Wilderness and began the climb towards the shelter. Every time I saw a biggish rock, I would wonder to myself: “Is that it?” I was never sure. But I was sure I didn’t want to miss The Priest.

Despite my 1.5 hour lunch stop, I arrived at the shelter earlier than I have arrived at camp in a while. At the shelter, I met a weekend hiker named Ross, who explained that he was an AT thru-hiking alumni from 1989! He was currently preparing for a Mt. Rainier trip, which sounded very cool. As we were chatting, Clover, Puddin, Jazz, and Retro arrived. Because Katie was from the area, I asked her where the actual Priest was. She looked at me like I was an idiot and explained that we were on the Priest. The Priest was the mountain😅

I had a hell of a time trying to hang a bear bag on a high branch next to the shelter, but I eventually got it. As evening approached, we sat in the shelter eating dinner, we wondered where Delta was. Ross explained that Delta had arrived at the shelter just before I arrived, but he had continued on to a set of ledges about a half mile ahead. He apparently wanted to catch the sunset. Or maybe he thought that’s where we would be camping? Oh well, we’ll catch him tomorrow.