Reconvene.

It was wet and rainy for the days going into Erwin, and that didn’t change on the day of leaving Erwin. The trail was a makeshift creek, and there was really no choice but to walk through the water for the first few miles.

However, the rain did let up, and the trail dried out as I climbed to a higher altitude. I was greeted with some views, and I was ultimately feeling pretty good. My heel was feeling stronger and stronger every day.

I met up with Ketchup and we decided to hike a few more miles to find Creek and Critter, who were supposed to be a few miles ahead. We ran into them camped out at an apple orchard just off the trail. It was a great reunion, as the last time they all saw me, I was out of commission, held up in a shelter with an ankle injury. I am glad we all met back up sooner than expected.

We all stuck together the next couple days. From the orchard we climbed up Beauty Spot and Roan Knob. We stayed at the highest elevation shelter on the AT at Roan Mountain Shelter.

The next morning, I got up bright and early to catch the sunrise on the nearby bald. The sunrise was excellent, but the morning was cold and windy. The pictures I snapped made it totally worth it though.

We cruised on down the balds into Roan Mountain, where we stayed at Station 19e Hostel. They had food and live bluegrass music. Certainly a unique experience.

The next day was short. After a quick resupply, we crossed the 400-mile marker and, ten miles later, made it to the next shelter.

I am currently at mile marker 404 of the Appalachian Trail. The plan is to hike about another 60–70 miles over the next few days to make it to Damascus, Virginia, in time for the Trail Days hiker festival.