AT14 Day 10: You just had a near life experience

5/23 Fri
Little Laurel->spivey gap
293.4->330.2

Congratulations, you just had near life exprience.  

I started off my day in the fog again. As I got up to the ridge it felt like it might rain soon. I saw a sign that had two trails, the white blaze AT and a blue blaze Bad Weather trail.  Well I am in for the white blazes. It started to rain, so I quickly threw on my rain gear.  I up'd my pace to keep warm and the storm seemed to be getting worse.  It was like a scene from a movie. A tree fell a ways in the distance. Thunder and lightning were crashing everywhere.  The rain seemed to just be pooring out of buckets. This was getting intense. Suddenly, I realized I was reaching the end of the trees and entering an exposed rocky ridge.  Crap.  So I sat down on my pack and had to wait.  I ate a cliffbar and then another. I didn't know how long I would be there and didnt want to get cold.  About ten minutes later the storm cleared as quick as it rolled in.  I ran up the ridge to a most beautiful sight. You could see the outline of the storm and the sun in the distance.

 It was a surreal experience.    

"Congratulations, you just had a near life experience"- Tyler Durden

Well it was time to get my hustle on; one I was cold and two I lost about thirty minutes.  I ran and ran and felt good.  This day is going awesome. Then came the hunger and the climbs.  So I ate and walked uphil.  And ate and walked uphill. I had about 3,000 Kalories on this climb. I was still hungry and still climbing...ugh.  This begins where my mind turned. I put on music and tried everything I could.  But nothing seemed to work.  For another four hours I stuggled in this fashion.  When I realized it was almost 6pm and I needed to hurry and get somewhere to spend the night. I booked it. Where was this energy a few hours ago.  I sprinted like I had just started and was going for a short run.  Finishing with some eating and walking. Set up camp by myself by a creek.  That was a tough 37 miles.

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