Miles: 11.5
I woke up today tired and dreading the thought of putting on wet boots. My boots are getting tight anyway because of my swollen feet, and the water just makes it even worse. After a slow start, the entire day just dragged on. The Trail was either filled with boulders or mud pits up to 8" deep, without the luxury of bog logs over them. No energy + Mud + Hot and Humid Day = No Fun for Bobo.
By lunchtime it was evident that we weren't going to make it to our destination. However, there is a parking lot near the Trail where it crosses a highway. So, we were sure we could stealth camp there.
After much plodding, slipping and cursing, we finally made it to our stealth site. There are two large signs that say NO CAMPING, but there is NO WAY I'm hauling myself up a steep climb to the next shelter, 1.6 miles away. My butt is staying here. It's actually a very nice site, with a stream flowing right by.
While taking a break at a shelter, we met another SOBO today, Cadence, who evidently did push on to the next shelter. Hopefully, he'll carry the message to Medicine Man and Sunshine that we're hot on their heels. We were supposed to meet up with them last night, but after that hellacious river crossing, we stopped one shelter short. I'm sure we'll see them tomorrow.
- Stealth Bobo