Photo credit: Scooby
Miles Today: 7.9
Mile Marker: 144.9 Cheoah Bald
We got off to a late start this morning, but it was nice having a slow morning. The owner of the cabin dropped off some eggs from his chickens last night, and we made those for breakfast. Everyone did some stretching and relaxing. We headed back to the NOC around noon and had lunch and resupplied. Scooby and I hit the trail around 1:00 while Old E and Moonshine stayed back to relax and heal up.
The hiking was pretty uneventful, which was nice for a change. My intention was to hike until about 7:00 and then just camp wherever I could along the trail. At 6:00 I ran into Scooby who had found a spectacular Bald, and was camping with Noth’n Stuck and Fedora. I figured I would stop and enjoy the view, but ultimately decided it was too cool of a spot to pass up. We'll be getting stupid high wind gusts, but my new Fly Creek tent should hold up just fine.
I have this thin closed cell foam pad I brought with me to help add additional insulation to my main sleeping pad for the winter section. I also use it to sit on during breaks and to take naps on during warm days. The most important use however is picking a campsite. Anyone who has camped on a slight incline knows it is essentially impossible to sleep. You spend the whole night half awake trying to keep from sliding off your pad. I take my foam pad and lay it down on the ground and lie on it until I find the most comfortable spot. Then I hold it in place with my trekking poles and pitch my tent in that exact spot. Perfect sleep spot every time. Scooby has seen me do this twice now and thinks it's brilliant/hilarious. He said he had to come up with a name around the process. I told him I also take naps on the mat during the day, and he immediately said “Slumberland. Your new name is Slumberland.” I dig it. I've always taken my sleep very seriously; it's perfect.