Check out this shelter I stayed in last night!
TOTALLY LIFESAVING!!!
I pulled into camp drenched and muddy to the core... let me emphasise... I was very wet and muddy (and therefore cold, to the very core of my being, I was beginning to wonder if my hands or my feet would ever be dry or clean again)... from a FULL DAY of cold and rain.
Have I mentioned that it rained all day?
Went over Roan Mountain in the rain and fog, then three balds... I repeat, three BALDS (as in no trees or rain protection of any kind) totally exposed to the elements, thoroughly drenched on all sides from changing direction at each of the switch backs (I imagine it must have been similar to how a rotisserie chicken is slowly rotated to evenly expose every nook and cranny...).
To have a shelter with four walls was crucial. TOTALLY LIFESAVING!!!
Inside my bag things didn't fare much better. Everything but my sleeping bag and the contents of my clothes bag were drenched. And as I looked around the shelter i realized that no one else had fared much better. Everyone's stuff was strewn about in an attempt to drip dry and each person had made a little pocket of territory along the outter walls of the shelter. Each of us intently focussed on one of a few basic elements of self care: food, warmth, feet, moisture control, sleep preparation and journaling to name a few of the more popular choices.
At some point someone likened our condition to a refugee camp, an all too accurate description of the scene.
Anyway, we all made it. I'm now cozy in a real bed at the Mountain Harbor B&B and Hiker Hostel.
Enjoy the pics! The sun came out today just long enough to snap 'em!
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