Everything was shrouded in a fog of mystery.
The wind howling outside and drops of moisture on the shelter roof were not welcoming sounds for an early rise. Certainly mornings like this take a strength of will to overcome the urge to crawl lower into a warm sleeping bag and forge out into the inclement weather. A large part of the day was spent trekking in the thick fog decked out in my cold weather gear, but truth be told the only water to fall was from the branches that had been soaked in mist enough to create a steady dripping. Clingmans dome was socked in so I didn't even bother going up to the observation platform. Just my luck that after I'd passed by, the sun started to break through making it much more pleasant in the late afternoon/early evening than it had been earlier. Hiking through sections of dark spruce and fir with everything on the ground covered in green moss was the highlight for me.
Mt. Collins Shelter was pretty full when I got there with thru hikers, section hikers and even a couple of people who had hiked in from Newfound Gap to support their friends who were hiking the trail. Fortunately there was still a spot for me for I must admit that battling the cold all day had left me a little chill. Can't wait to crawl into my sleeping bag and warm up. If I happen to drift off to sleep in the process, all the better. A lot of the talk I overheard in the evening centered around resupply, zero days and accommodation. A group of younger guys were talking about hitting the town hard and getting all shit-faced, laughing and saying how cool that would be. BAH! That's the type of stuff that gives hikers a bad rep among town's folk and personally, I don't want to be associated with that kind of behaviour at all. If you're going to drink, please drink responsibly.
Departure from Russell Field Shelter
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