May 22nd, 2019, North Carolina and Georgia
It was a bit warmer today with very little breeze. But otherwise it was another nice day. With a warm and calm day the insects were more active as well. I haven’t noticed mosquitos yet but there have been gnats, deer flies, and what might be midges.
I was surprised today at the number of new people starting thru hikes. This morning I had breakfast at the shelter and talked to those who were there for the night. There were five thru hikers. And I passed more than that again today.
I also met hikers named “Galant” and Heather who had stopped for water at the same place as I did.
Heather is section hiking and Galant is starting a thru hike. He has a strong accent, perhaps Japanese. He has already completed the two other long trails, the PCT and CDT, and is now trying to complete the AT as well. We talked for a while about his experience on the other trails before heading off.
It was another long day and I was more tired today, probably because it was the third long day in a row. I made it to my campsite around 6:45 pm after 11.5 hours of hiking. According to the trail guide, this was the site of a former dairy farm from the 1800s—hence the name “Cheese Factory.”
Time for bed now…