(Jerry's Cabin Shelter (mile 301.8) - Hogback Ridge Shelter (mile 317.5))

I woke up at about 7:30am. I took my time to eat breakfast and stretch in camp and started hiking at around 9:30am. My plan for the day was to hike a little less than 16 miles to Hogback Ridge Shelter.

I reached the first notable landmark for the day after about 2 miles: Big Butt. Yes, Big Butt. The trail passes a rock named “Big Butt” and every hiker, myself included, thinks it’s hilarious. Unfortunately, Big Butt itself is wholly unremarkable. There’s not really a view, and the rock itself isn’t even that cool. I was so disappointed, I forgot to take a picture. I took a lot of pictures with the sign though. Because I am a child😅

After another 5 miles I stopped to eat lunch at Flint Mountain Shelter where I found Caroline, Tyler, Katie, and Jasmine. It should be mentioned that Caroline and Tyler have trail names now! Caroline is now “Clover,” referencing her nearly supernatural ability to find four leaf clovers🔎🍀 Tyler is now “Puddin,” because he likes it🍮😂

We were joined by Robert, an older gentleman who was also at Jerry’s Cabin last night. Robert recently retired after working for child protective services for about 30 years. He is doing a NOBO flip-flop from Hot Springs, meaning he just started his thru-hike and will be hiking north to Katahdin and then coming back to Hot Springs to hike south to Springer. I chatted with Robert for a bit while doing some post-lunch stretches and then bid him farewell and good luck.

As I hiked away from Flint Mountain Shelter, I met a couple of day hikers who offered me a bag of candies and wished me a happy easter. On trail, it’s so easy to lose track of time. Days of the week are irrelevant. I hadn’t even realized that it was easter!🥚🐰🐣

AT blazes are not always marked on trees

After another 2.5 miles, I reached Devil's Fork Gap, where I noticed my thru-hiker pals lounging in folding chairs near a table of food. An older couple was serving up holiday trail magic! They introduced themselves as “Now or Never” (the guy) and “Mud Cat” (the gal). I took a seat in one of their folding chairs and cracked open a cold IPA. The beer had apparently been dropped off for us by one of the overnighters at Jerry’s Cabin to celebrate Katie’s birthday. I ate some of the goodies Now or Never and Mud Cat had prepared, including a pasta salad that Puddin had dubbed “sketchy.” Fortunately, I suffered no gastrointestinal consequences😅

Easter trail magic from Now or Never and Mud Cat

The climb out of Devil’s Fork Gap involved a long haul up Lick Rock Divide Mountain. Clover, Puddin, Katie, and Jasmine had left the gap a little before me, but I soon caught up to them and we began hiking together. As we climbed, the trail zigzagged over Sugarloaf Branch, a large and scenic creek. After about a mile, we reached a small waterfall, and I stopped to dip my head in the fall. The day was hot and the cold mountain water felt wonderful.

The afternoon sun was blazing today so I stuck my head in a waterfall to cool off

We were treated to an excellent view from the top of Lick Rock Divide Mountain, where we also found Carly reading a book by the side of the trail.

As we hiked along the ridge, we kept hearing a distant beeping noise. Eventually, we reached Rice Gap and noticed a pack of three hound dogs bounding down the trail. The dogs ran up to greet us, and I think we all jumped out of our skin when the dogs suddenly emitted a deafening BEEEEEP! After the initial shock, we realized that the dogs had devices on their collars which were emitting the terrible beeping noises. Soon, a group of day hikers moseyed on down the trail and explained that they were the dog owners. They explained that the beeper collars allowed them to keep track of the dogs in thick brush. Also, one of the dogs was named “Doc,” which was the name of my childhood dog😄

After another mile of climbing, we finally reached Hogback Ridge Shelter, our destination for the evening. The time was just about 6pm and I was totally out of water. Unfortunately for me, the shelter’s water source was about 0.3 miles from the shelter😬 After an obnoxiously long journey to get water, I got my dinner soaking and set up my tent while chatting with Lighthouse, who I hadn’t seen in a while. I learned that Lighthouse runs his own business where he builds Shaker Boxes. They are really well made and beautiful, and can be found on his website. Lighthouse has also been vlogging his thru-hike on his YouTube channel.