AT Day 24: Pigsah NF & Whiterock Cliff

Daily Miles: 19.8, Total Miles: 316.2

It rained for several hours last night and woke up to a drizzle and a heavy mist. Couldn’t just lay there so put on the wet clothes and got ready to go.

I quickly got to Whiterock Cliff and the rocky, narrow ridge walk. Supposed to be great views but it was really socked in and couldn’t see anything. Later, I should have taken the bad weather route, the Big Butt Bypass, but stayed on the main route.

Wet rocks + wet leaves +wet tree roots = slips and falls. I took a fall on all the above somehow twisting around to fall mostly on my back – the backpack taking the brunt.

I met up with Buttercup and Hooyah, who I had met at the start of the Smokies. We hiked together for five miles and visiting the Shelton Graves. A pair of Union soldiers were killed here while visiting their family in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Then on to Flint Mountain Shelter joining some other hikers for lunch.

The mist and clouds finally lifted and the sun made an appearance in the afternoon. I stopped to meet a trail angel and her two young sons and had a snack at Devil’s Fork Gap. Made it another five miles before deciding to stop and dry out a bit before setting up camp.