Wednesday March 27, 27.0miles/43.5km

Little Laurel Shelter NC (294.5) to Viewpoint N of Sam’s Gap NC (321.5)

It was a cold night last night, but I was cozy under all my goose down. I packed up from the shelter and got moving quickly so I could get warm.

After a short climb, I got to Big Firescald knob. There is an option to go around the peak instead of over it. But the sign said the around trail had bad weather, so I went over. 😛

It had pretty amazing views.

Right after the peak, I passed mile 300. Keep on Rollin…

It was a nice sunny day, and it actually warmed up to 55F/13C today.

The highlight of my morning was Big Butt Mountain. Yes, this is its real name.

🎶 I hiked big butt and I cannot lie… 🎶

I stopped for lunch at Flint mountain shelter, and a few other hikers were there, getting setup for the night. Ed, (another) Ed, Salamander, and Pushing-60 were all gathered.

The AT crossed a fence today! This stile (to get over the fence) reminded me of the hundreds that I saw in New Zealand .

And this post was just funny. Another thing that reminded me of New Zealand, with the Lord of the Rings reference.

Otherwise, it was mostly enjoyable walking in nice weather. I didn’t see anyone else after lunch.

I crossed interstate 26 at Sam’s Gap, and also crossed back into Tennessee again briefly.

I stopped to camp a couple miles later, and the campsite had nice views. The first photo is a preview of tomorrow’s climb, Big Bald Mountain.