A word of warning: Don’t look for any humor or anything lighthearted in today’s report. This was just a really, really nasty day.

Today had all the negative elements from yesterday, but instead of being just in the afternoon, we had to deal with them all day. The weather looked like it might be clearing when we woke up, but about 15 minutes after we hit the trail, the rain set in and pretty much hung around all day.

We’d had some big mileage plans, but when we got to the first shelter after about five miles, trail conditions said it just wasn’t going to happen today. Every step was a potential fall and much of the trail was under water. We had to rock hop when we could, but the consistency of the dirt mostly made the mud very slippery or gave it a sucking quality that almost pulled your shoes off your feet. Our pace was already lagging, and we were feeling wet and chilled.

We found two people sleeping in a fairly new shelter and decided we’d better stop long enough to fix ourselves something hot. Several hikers pulled in behind us with the same idea and the little work shelf quickly became quite crowded.

We also got to hear a firsthand account of a hiker run-in with a doped up, gun-toting local back at Beauty Spot, which could have been tragic but thankfully ended in an arrest after the hikers subdued the idiot. The lesson here: don’t camp too close to vehicle access.

After lunch, we had treacherous footing and a thousand-foot descent before beginning a 2,200′ climb up Roan Mountain. This would have been hard on a good day, but given the weather the ascent was enough to reduce one to tears. To make matters worse, for about a mile the trail had recently been rerouted and had had no time to develop a firm base, so it was like climbing in a muddy ditch. By far the worst day we’ve had to deal with so far…

The cold wind got much stronger near the top, as we followed an old gravel road on the edge of a steep slope (at least it seemed steep as best we could tell looking through the clouds and swirling fog), fully exposed to the full force of the elements. We quickly went from being chilled to downright cold. N pushed slightly ahead of X, in an attempt to be changed into warm, dry clothes and ready to aid her warming up when she arrived. With her eyes mostly to the ground, X missed the small sign directing her to turn right to the shelter, thankfully located a tenth of a mile back in the woods and protected from the brunt of the wind.

When X didn’t arrive within a matter of minutes, N headed out to the main trail, and quickly caught up with her, so she could make a U-turn back to safety. We understand this is the highest elevation shelter (6,194′) on the AT, and as the wind howls outside and the temperature drops into the 30’s, we are glad for its door and four-sided protection (again a unique shelter design for anywhere on the AT, except the huts in the White Mountains). The shelter is already full when we arrive [and not a particularly social bunch of hikers, at that!], but we find some space up a ladder in the attic. It’s a good night to be inside and out of the elements. For the first time our sleeping bags seem too light, and we wear every dry stitch of clothing we possess. Even hidden among the trees, the shelter walls sway all night.