Day 42

Origin: Damascus, VA
Destination: Lost Mountain Shelter
Today's miles: 15.6
Total miles: 483.7

Relatively well-rested, we left Damascus with the sun on our faces. By the time we reached a coffee shop just outside of town for breakfast, I realized I didn't have my wallet on me. Magge didn't have it either, so I ran back to the hostel where we had stayed to see if I had left it lying around. It wasn't there so I ran back to the coffee shop, only to find it in my backpack... again. Note to self: next time I lose my wallet, search my bag thoroughly before backtracking.

Most of the day was pleasantly sunny and warm and we thought we might have escaped the bad weather forecast. However, the later it got, the darker the clouds became. Around 4pm, I could feel a few drops. I silently asked for the storm to give us 40 more minutes so we could arrive at the shelter dry, but then the sky just opened up and we were drenched before we could even get our rain jackets on. The last two miles to the shelter felt exceedingly long. We can't catch a break with this weather.