Day 60
Thunder Hill Shelter to Punch Bowl Mountain Overlook
Miles Hiked: 25.7
AT Milage: 797.6
Last night was very windy and freezing. It was probably one of the coldest nights I’ve had on the trail. I was wearing all of my wool layers plus my puffy coat and still shivering! I’m glad I didn’t send home my cold weather gear like I had planned on. When I woke up the wind was still blowing like crazy. I got on the trail at 7AM still wearing all of my warm layers. The first part of my day was all downhill so I made the miles relatively fast. I think I did at least 15 miles before 12:30pm. I crossed the James River on the longest footbridge on the Appalachian Trail before I hiked up another mountain and out of the valley. Today was one of the hardest mountain climbs I’ve had in a long time. I listened to music to help motivate me up the hill. I was alone pretty much all day. I only saw two other Northbound hikers who hitched a ride into town from the the river. I hiked 25.7 miles to Punch Bowl Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway where my family picked me up. I was so happy to see them! We drove to our hotel in Lexington VA and Emma and I both took showers before we got to go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant.
Before I left for the trail I bought myself a one pound Reese Cup (my favorite candy). Today I ate half of it! I was so excited for the treat I had planned. I also got to wear my new shoes I purchased a few weeks ago while they were on sale. Before I went to bed I soaked my feet in hot water and epson salt.
Happy Trails!
Des Hikes Thru 