Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 102 – The Big Butt bypass
5th November 2023
Piped Spring (1875.1) - Little Laurel Shelter (1903.9)
Daily miles: 28.8
Total miles: 1892.8
Last nights not that flat camp site
It was a surprisingly pleasant night and much warmer than I expected. The clocks went back tonight and so it got light an hour earlier. I left at 7am but I could have left earlier because it was so light. I felt in my rhythm again. I packed up within half an hour and hiking early which is how I normally hike but I haven’t really done that since hiking as a group.
Tinker wasn’t at all packed up and we said goodbye. It’s unlikely I’ll see her again.
There were a group of people behind camped on Big Bald and there were a group of people who stayed at Miss Janet’s house and I didn’t know what time they were getting back on trail but I assumed it wouldn’t be early.
It was 4 miles to the road crossing where they were being dropped off and when I crossed there at 8:20am I thought I might see them but there was no one there.
Uphill climb
Morning views
It’s been a good few days (apart from the tick bite)
No leaves!
This would have been a great camp site
The golden path
The road crossing where the rest of the group will be dropped off by Miss Janet
The trail had some pretty steep climbs today and I was moving pretty slowly. I also didn’t really know where I was going to get to today, I wanted to put myself in a position where I didn’t have too many miles to do into Hot Springs tomorrow.
I saw a couple who said there was trail magic ahead which was 4.5 miles away, then I ran into a lady called Fireflo who had been doing all sorts of sections northbound but going back on herself every time. She said Emoji was at the road. Safety caught up to me about a mile before the road and we walked together and had a nice chat. He first checked how I was doing post tick bite.
He was going so fast and I struggled to keep up with him but at least he made me go faster so I got to the road quicker and I was able to sit in a chair. He asked me a question as we were going uphill and I was literally fighting for my life while trying to talk and keep up with his pace!
Some nice views today
Small naked trees
Emoji is back with more trail magic
I don’t want to sound ungrateful about trail magic but I don’t want more hiker food (although I did eat some Doritos so call me a hypocrite), if someone is doing trail magic I want food that isn’t in my pack. The cold drink was nice though.
The others arrive, Cal, Sidequest, Late Start, Hendrix and Howard is back hiking again. This is the crew who stayed at Miss Janet’s. They said they were aiming for the shelter 16.6 miles away. By this time it was 12:30pm. I could do it. I just didn’t know if I wanted to do it! It would make it a pretty big day and I would definitely be hiking in the dark, but that may become a regular thing now the sun sets at 5:30pm
I ate a couple of snacks then left just before 1pm. There were some really nice bits of trail then there were some spicier bits of trail where there were some steep climbs. Rabbit Foot passed me, so did Howard and Hendrix. We congregated again at the top of Big Butt mountain with Late Start and Safety and Sidequest.
Hiking out
Long shadows
Through the Rhododendrons
Hendrix
The trail remained high for most of the day
The top of Big Butt
Big Butt bypass
Hendrix, Rabbit Foot and Late Start hiked out first and I followed. Rabbit Foot stopped to stretch, Late Start and Hendrix stopped to find water and I found myself out in front again. The leaves were intense today but the trail finally mellowed out a bit and there wasn’t so much climbing.
I love this picture
Through the open fields
It was 5:10pm when I had to make a decision. I could go up to the cliffs where it was rocky and a bit of a scramble, there was probably a pretty decent sunset but I would be doing half the rock scramble in the dark. Or I could take the bad weather bypass. I stood for a moment at the sign wondering if anyone would catch up to me and we could do the rocks together, but I had just got it in my head that I wanted to be done as quick as I could for the day and decided on the bypass.
I flew along the bypass and then just after had to put my headlamp on around 5:50pm. The trail was quite rocky and I was glad I wasn’t scrambling in the dark. The last bit of the trail was fine apart from the last downhill to the shelter which was so deep in leaves I was slip sliding all over the place.
Deciding if I should go to the top of that or take the bypass
Last light
Sunset
The bypass was a nice trail
Almost too dark to see – not represented well by the iPhone
I got to the shelter at 7:10pm and there was one person in it, I said hello but they were tucked up in their sleeping bag and unresponsive, so I didn’t want to stay in there. I wondered around a bit, crunching on all the leaves around the shelter.
I found an area to camp and started to set up, there was space for everyone else so I hoped they would camp with me when they arrived.
They got here about 7:30pm. Howard went into the shelter but the others set up their tents around me which made me happy, well Safety and Sidequest set up their tent and everyone else is cowboy camping.
Reason 101 I don’t like cowboy camping
We went down the side trail to get water and it was a very slow flow. It took about 5 mins to fill up a bottle, but at least there is water here.
Toe and Neptune arrived around 9:30pm having done a big 32 mile day to get here. The others are staying in a shelter 7 miles back which means they will have a 27 to get to town tomorrow.
I ate a couple of small bits of bread and a handful of crisps for dinner. I’m not that hungry.
Less than 300 miles to go now.
My legs are throbbing. I’m feeling ready to be done now.
