9-21-12

AT miles hiked today: 15ish
Total AT miles hiked: 1441.9
Miles to complete my thruhike: 742.3

I camped at a stealth site near the Rutherford shelter. It was getting dark and I was stumbling on the rocks and the shelter is .4 off the trail. So Eagle Eye and I called Toe Knee, who was about to call us and tell us just to camp if we could. The trail is very steep and rocky to the Rutherford Shelter. We found a pretty spot, and saved the free Cokes the High Point State Park Ranger gave us for morning. At the state park building there is a bathroom, a hiker box, a garbage can just for thruhiker trash, and they were very nice to us. Then we met some campers who gave us a cucumber and offered us a free campsite and a cooked meal if we could get to their campsite about three miles away. It was tempting, and if we could have found a ride, I would have done it. I really appreciated the offer, though. Thank you!

Earlier today I passed a tree with satan graffiti on it (poor tree), and there are "no trespassing" signs everywhere on the sides of the trail. I walked past fenced back yards full of barking dogs and realized there are not as many blazes for SOBOs as there are for NOBOs. It's not as easy to hike southbound as it is to hike the AT northbound. It's much easier to get lost going south. Often I turn and look behind me for a northbound white blaze to make sure I'm still on the AT.