Day 11

Origin: Carter Gap Shelter
Destination: Rock Gap Shelter
Today's miles: 12.1
Total miles: 107.0

Another late start (I guess at this point I should say it's expected), as we pulled out of our campsite around 9:30am. Most of the morning's walk was very pleasant before our toughest climb yet, which was up Albert Mountain. Although it was very steep, it was luckily pretty short. The top of the mountain had a fire tower that we could climb partially up to get a great view (picture below). The peak is also notable for being the 100 mile point of the AT.

We finished the rest of the hike in a few hours in more perfect weather. We're staying in a shelter tonight for the first time since Low Gap because the tent sites are far off the trail and right next to a road, which I don't like. We have a fairly light 3.8 mile hike into Franklin, NC tomorrow and we'll then take the rest of the day off.

We're starting to get our hiker's legs. Magge particularly seems stronger, as she's able to maintain a good pace without getting completely drained. That was especially noticeable today. The improved conditioning, great weather, big milestone and beautiful views made today my favorite day so far.