May 19: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
 
Miles Today : 22.6
Total Miles : 171.7

Another day on the AT, another day of rain, what else? OK, it wasn't all that bad. I woke up early this morning to a clear sky. I was really glad to see this since I was hiking over McAfee's Knob and Tinker Cliffs this morning, two of the better known views in Virginia.

McAfee's Knob is a giant slab of rock that juts out in space. The view from the knob is great, but the photos of a lone hiker sitting on the edge of the world are even better. I hung out with Titanium and Ice as we took pictures for each other and enjoyed the view - a rarity so far on this trip.

From there, it was a six-mile hike along the ridge to Tinker Cliffs. For almost a half a mile, the AT weaves its way on and off granite slabs along the cliffs. The weather was great and I was having a blast. It was nice to be in the sun, with dry feet, looking at the mountains.

From the cliffs, it was an eight-mile hike down into Troutville, which is when the day started to go south on me. The actual trail itself was in terrible shape and anytime the pitch got steep, the trail turned into a rockslide. In addition to that, the trail when up and down more PUDS than I had seen so far this trip. My feet were in pain, and I was not a happy hiker, but I endured and made it into Troutville by late afternoon.

I made my way to a convenience store where I made a few phone calls and loaded up on junk food. Mmmm... Junk food. After about an hour of eating and talking, if was time for the final climb of the day. Fueled by Mountain Dew and Little Chocolate Donuts, I blasted through the last six miles in record time. Not fast enough, however, to beat the lastest round of thunderstorms. I arrived to an empty shelter, completely soaked. And my shoes had just dried out too.

This shelter is at the top of the ridge, so there is no natural water here. Instead, they have installed a rain gutter on the back of the roof that collects water and drains it into a cistern. For those of you who do not know, I do not filter or treat my water out here, I just don't believe in it. However, I didn't know that this place had nasty cistern water. So I had to suck it up and drink the smelly, foul water despite my reservations. It is not the worst water that I have ever had, but it is close.

It's late in the evening, and another thru-hiker, Gypsy, has arrived late along with a couple of section hikers. The rain and fog have settled in for the night, and the forecast for tomorrow is not good - as usual.

-Chomp

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