oh what a day. left the hostel at neels gap at 8 am. it was 14 degrees with 25 mph winds and there was about 8 inches of snow on the ground. I left with charles because we thought it might be better to travel in pairs because of the extreme conditions. we were the second group, of 6 groups, to leave so we followed the first group's footprints - hoping they knew where they were going. within 20 minutes my face mask was frozen to my beard and face. by mid-day the winds calmed and it got into the low 30's. my clothing for reference: thin capilene long underwear bottoms under my hiking pants. ss breathable shirt, ls midweight techwick shirt, rain/wind jacket. heavy weight hiking socks. balaclava, breathable gilligan hat, hood on my jacket. fleece gloves. getting to know the layering thing and knowing when to unzip my jacket and its underarm zippers for ventilation. this combo worked well for me today.
we hiked about 11 miles over some great peaks and past cool vistas to the low gap shelter. we were the 5th and 6th people at the shelter which is built for 7. got here around 4pm. first day I've seen the sun. got some good pics i think. changed clothes ate hot food and drank hot coffee and cocoa and then closed up the front of the shelter with tarps. now there are 12 of us crammed into the shelter, but it's nice because it's 29 degrees at 6 pm. will get much colder so we're laying all over each other and already burrowed into our bags for the night.
for tomorrow: hike 7, 15, or 22 miles. I'll wait until i see how the trail looks and how early I can get up if it's still cold.
feet and body are feeling good. mind is doing well also. hike on!
later, l
-- Post From My iPhone
