Appalachian Tra

I guess I complained about the heat too much, because now we’ve had 2 days of heavy rain. Good news — all my stuff is working and I’m keeping relatively dry. And, I have friends who found the pack cover I lost along the way. (Pack covers are VERY important when it’s raining. Luckily I had “belts and suspenders planning” and my stuff in my pack was in a heavy-duty bag.) I am now in a motel room drying things.

I know I’ve talked about the shelter system before. Two nights ago, I stayed at 501 Shelter, named after the nearby road. It’s an old potter’s shed, completely enclosed with a huge skylight, solar shower, spigot for water, garbage cans, and cord for charging phones. Deluxe! I chose to sleep in a tent when I saw mice crawling down the wall. But, we were able to have pizza delivered, which was a real treat. I think the local restaurant did at least 7 runs to that place 😍

I also met the young caretaker. Tyler (Trevor?) and his partner, who live in the house next door. They have full-time jobs with environmental agencies but volunteer for the Appalachian Trail significantly. That evening, he was taking a battery-operated power washer to clean off graffiti from rocks at an overlook on the trail. Very cool young man who makes me feel hopeful for the world. (I know, that may make me sound old :)Les mer