We hike one mile to the shelter for water. Matt is already feeling tired. I am worried this is way too much for him but he assures me he will be fine if he takes his time and drinks plenty of water. We are four miles away from a road that could get us to town if needed. I am having a hard time reading Matt so did some praying in that four miles that God would provide whatever Matt needed.
We find a place to break at the road. I can see Matt is feeling the difficulty but he is determined. Then I spot Miss Janet. Miss Janet is a well known trail angle. We met her in Hot Springs, NC. She used to own a hostel for many years. She lost it in a divorce and now travels around the trail looking to help hikers in any way she can.
She offered us drinks and snacks. By the time we were done talking, the decision was made that we would slack pack 17 miles and she would take our packs and Matt. Matt spent the day in town with Janet and they would bring us some pizza at 8pm. We took off so quick, we did not take enough time to be sure we brought all we needed.
We hiked three miles up Mt. Bromley and realized Mark drank all the water I thought we were sharing. He thought I brought a second bottle. This mountain is part of a ski hill and the last mile was in the sun up a ski slope. I was parched. The mountain offered us a 360 degree view where we could see five states. We are getting back into the higher mountains allowing us to peak above tree line. We had 2.7 miles to reach a water source. We average 3 miles an hour without our packs. Answered prayer!
We came to a water pump with cold spring water. It was a treat! We just sat drinking water until we could not drink anymore. Out here you learn what it means to drink for hydration and to eat for fuel In a moment like this, you realize what a miracle it is that we live in homes with never ending, cold, clean running water. If it is not cold enough, we throw in some ice cubes. Of course, we can opt for milk, juice, or any other cold beverage we have waiting for us. Some incredible people invented, invested, and worked very hard leaving us with such convenience. I wish I could thank them all.
We have 11 miles to go and know we did not have much time for breaks. We climb another mountain that is quite steep. We are beginning to feel the miles especially in our feet. The hard thing about slack packing is you give up the freedom to stop and set up camp if you've had enough. We will hike to Griffith Lake for a swim. We pass a cool shelter right by a stream. Then the lake with many tenting sites. We love this area. We soak our bodies mindful of the time. We are hearing thunder rumble in the distance. Seven miles to go and it's 5:00 PM. Now we are walking as fast as we can before the rain comes down. One more mountain, Baker Peak. This was a challenge with some rock climbing at the top. Super cool spot to camp for the night. The view is incredible. I kept wishing Matt could see this. We go back into the canopy of trees and with the storms now all around us, it is so dark it's hard to see the trail. We are whipped but continue our pace with lightning and thunder all around us. We finally make it to the road with not much more than a sprinkle. We have our tarp ready for when it hits. We lay next to the road exhausted and relieved. A beautiful hike we would come back to enjoy at a more leisurely pace.
Matt and Miss Janet pull up with pizza and cold drinks. Rain starts and we decide to stay at a B & B tonight. All is well!
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