Tuesday April 9, 27.5mi/44.3km

Route 615/Suiter Road (584.8) to campsite by Dismal Creek (612.3)

I woke up to the sound of water falling on my tent, but it was just the trees dripping from the dense fog. It was a warm morning and it was nice to hike in a t-shirt and shorts.

Did I make it to the final level of the game? Trail boss!

This burn section had a haunted feel to it with the fog.

I saw no other hikers all morning. I stopped at the Brushy Mountain outpost, a general store and grill. The cheeseburger on Texas toast was a good second breakfast.

The trail crossed another major freeway, interstate 77. Looks pretty empty…

At the trailhead parking areas, there are often trash cans. This one had an unusual sign. I’ve never seen this before, I suspect this is only a problem in rural Virginia?!

In the afternoon, I saw one hiker with her dog (section hiker, from the looks of her gear), and several more danger noodles.

It was a nice sunny afternoon, and easy walking. Most of the time there were no views, and I passed the time listening to podcasts. Here are the few views I had:

A couple of miles before camp, I crossed the first suspension bridge on the AT. Bounce time!

I got to my targeted camp spot at 6:30pm, and I was the only one there. At least the nearby creek will be pleasant background noise for sleeping.