Day 67, miles today- 23.9, total- 923.3

Hightop Hut to Rock Spring Hut.

I woke up at a little past 6:00 am. There was a strong sustained wind and a light rain. Not very inviting. Most people delayed their start. It was after 9:00 when I got on trail. At that time it was still windy but the rain had stopped. The wind continued until nightfall. There was a cold front moving in. It stayed in the low to mid 40's all day. I hiked solo again today.

I saw  mushrooms that I'm pretty sure are called chicken of the woods. I took pictures of them. Dutch knows a lot about mushrooms and had showed me different kinds. He said this kind is edible.

After 11 miles I took a side trail to the Lewis Mtn. Campground store. I bought two drinks and one cinnamon roll. After another 9 miles I took the side trail to the Big Meadows Wayside. It was about 5:00 when I got there. I had a burger and fries. For dessert I had blackberry cobbler with blackberry ice cream. I stayed there enjoying the warmth and the lack of a strong wind. I left around 7:00 pm.

I had about 5 miles to go to reach the shelter. After a few miles there were several nice overlooks. It wasn't long till sunset, so I decided to hang out there for a while to take some pictures. The clouds were a little heavy so I wasn't sure if it was worth waiting. It would mean hiking in the dark before reaching the shelter. I waited 20 minutes, took a few pictures and then started hiking.

Before reaching the shelter it was pretty much dark, but I was able to get by without a headlamp. I got there a little after 9:00 pm, the people there were in their bags. Luckily there was room for me in the shelter, the thought of pitching my tent at that point didn't seem appealing. It's going to be a chilly night, great for sleeping.