Day 111
Start: Eckville Shelter
End: Campsite near Ashfield Road
Miles hiked: 19.9
Miles on AT: 1255.3
The morning was cool and damp when I woke up. After packing up my tent and packing my things in my backpack, I headed back across the road to have breakfast with the other hikers.
As soon as I stepped onto the trail, my shirt was soaked. I hadn’t even started climbing yet, but sweat was dripping down my neck and my shirt was already darker than when I started. Wetness is no fun!
When I reached the summit, it looked like I had been caught in a rainstorm. When people say you get soaked for six months on the AT, they’re right! I could barely see through my fogged up glasses.
Despite my discomfort, the walk up was nice and comfortable. Today was a little cooler as rain was forecast. The guard at the refuge had said it was going to rain all day today, but I was lucky that it didn’t rain in the morning.
By lunchtime I was starving! Luckily I came across a hostel called The Lookout Hostel that had snacks and drinks for hikers to purchase. When I got there, Stretch was standing in the living room; what a surprise!
After we chatted, I bought myself a lemonade and sat down at the picnic table outside for lunch. The hostel had a beautiful view of the valley below and the owners and their two daughters were so kind and welcoming. 
After a while, more hikers arrived, so I went in to chat with them for a bit before heading out again. The sky was looking a little threatening; there were rocky cliffs that I wanted to get over before it started to rain.
The first climb over the rocks was called Knife’s Edge and was honestly more like a blunt blade than a knife. Large rocks jutted out of the ground at a sharp angle of almost 45 degrees. There wasn’t much visibility but it was fun to hop between the rocks and circle the formation while enjoying the view below.
I still had a few miles to go to Bake Oven Knob, another short scramble over rocks, but just as I reached the parking lot in front of the knob, the sky started to rumble. Uh oh, that didn’t sound so good. I put on my pack cover and tried to get up and over as quickly as possible before the sky opened, but I was a few minutes late.
Just as I started to descend, huge raindrops splattered the rocks around me. Lightning lit up the dull gray sky and thunder rumbled. This was not going to be a light rain. Knowing that a rain jacket would be of no use in this kind of downpour, I just kept moving down the now smooth boulders, hoping to reach the level path as quickly as possible.
Before I knew it, I was completely soaked. This was no small shower! I could barely see through my water-covered glasses and it didn’t help that the flames were far apart. I had to stop every few steps to look around and figure out where the path might lead.
I heard a voice behind me and when I turned around I saw Stretch again. He was also having trouble finding the right path, so we communicated with hand signals since the rain was so loud. Eventually we reached the ground, in one piece. I looked almost the same as I did this morning, but instead of sweating I was soaking wet. At least I showered today!
Stretch and I had the same idea of camping near the nearest water source, so we moved on. Unfortunately, we still had to walk nearly 3 miles over wet, slippery Pennsylvania rocks. And let me tell you, it wasn’t fun. My feet were wet and slipping in my shoes, the rocks hurt, and I still had to concentrate very hard to step in just the right place.
When I got to the water supply and campsite, I was so relieved! I immediately changed into my dry clothes to be a little more comfortable and hung up the wet clothes (even though they would still be wet the next morning).
A short while later, Stretch showed up, and shortly after that, the other two hikers, Mikes and Skittles, arrived from the last shelter. We had a full house! Due to our long day, it soon got dark and we all crawled into our tents, still damp but drier than before.
And this is day 111.
Follow my journey on Instagram (@jenbrownhikes) for more updates!
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