The Trail Always Provides – The Trek

Day 32- 15 Miles today from Tricorner Knob Shelter to Davenport Gap Shelter, 2,000 Feet Up, 5,400Feet down, Total 313 AT miles

Time to Reset

We got to the shelter early about 1 pm yesterday as planned before the heavy cold rain set in. Marie was already there. The three of us spread out our gear to dry and enjoyed a lazy afternoon eating and catching up on trail chores.

About 2 pm the cold heavy rains set in and it rained continuously the rest of the day and all night. It was such a joy to be inside while the cold rain pounded outside all day and night.

Other hikers started trickling in but we were already cozy in our bags. Eventually about 10 of us called this shelter home for the night. About 6 pm Knockerz and I were in our bags getting warmed up. We both slept lulled by the pounding rain on the tin roof as the other hikers went about their business.

Tricorner Knob Shelter is the best shelter to take this nero. The spring and bear cables were right out front. The privy is also out front a bit further away but all of these amenities are a level walk.

Picking Up the Pace

We hiked in the wet forest for awhile before we ran into a hiker Skyball as we were hiking up Mount Guyot. Skyball was moving along pretty fast so I matched his pace to chat for awhile. When you hike long distances like this alone you get into your head so it’s nice to be able to get out of your head and chat with somebody while you walk.

He was moving pretty fast so I kept up with him as we talked. The miles flew by. I turned around and Knockerz was right behind me. She had been moving along at that same pace as me after we passed her awhile back.

An Alternate Path

I used to snow ski the back bowls and to get back to the base I had to travel down blue medium groomed trails. Those trails had all the powder pushed up on the edges by the people snow plowing through the middle. I would ride on that lip right at the edge of the woods enjoying deep powder while everyone else was skiing on the ice left behind in the middle of the trail.

I have noticed a similar trend on the AT. In areas that have lots of water running down the trail, or lots of rocks or roots, hikers have created these parallel trails next to the trail. At times we are staring at the ground just smoking along at a very fast pace. These parallel trails allow you to move along at a very fast pace to avoid the creek which is now the trail or ankle breaking rocks and roots. We become machines marching along.

Water Water everywhere?

Even though the trail had become a creek and there were water sources everywhere, I found my first major error. Unfortunately we were moving along at such a fast pace that I went by the last water grab for miles. So I had to back track 0.2 miles to do a quick water grab.

When I grabbed the water I didn’t treat it until we got to Mount Guyot. It was then that I noticed our water kit was missing. If I had been smart I would have taken one of the Sawyer squeezes and put it in Knockerz backpack but for whatever reason I had left it behind.

So we will be relying on spring water until we get to Hot Springs in about 3 or 4 days and we can buy new filters at the outfitters. The trail teaches but she always provides for your needs. I don’t know how, but we will wait and see what happens. Treated water is a necessity.

Stripped of Soil

On the drop down to the last climb before Cosby knob shelter we went through a beautiful section of Virgin Forest with massive trees. About that same time the sun poked out to offset the chill from a cool breeze that was blowing. The cool breeze was a gentle reminder that the next couple of days are going to be bitter cold.

We navigated through some massive blowdowns. These old giant trees grow on the thin layer of soil on top of solid rock penetrating every last inch of soil. When these trees blow over they pull up all the soil with them and leave a clean layer of rock behind.

We stopped briefly at Cosby knob shelter where we ran into a thru hiker that left Tri- Corner knob last this morning. He confirmed that I did indeed leave my water kit behind. It was still there when he left.

After we left Cosby knob the clouds started moving in and it turned cold and wet. Leaving Low gap we made the final climb up Mount Camerer.

It was then that we hit blow down city. All the progress we thought we were going to make today then became a very slow trudge through a bunch of blowdowns.

A Lower Elevation to get Warmer

Davenport Gap shelter is almost 15 miles away but it is at a lower elevation so it will be 5 degrees warmer on this bitter night. We had hiked our longest miles this far but eventually we made it to the Davenport Gap shelter.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek’s ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.