peter's mountain shelter to 501 shelter

a second day of quiet moving. it rained last night and was very foggy. even in the shelter, everything got pretty damp.

i was up first and had breakfast, which right now is just breakfast essentials (bleh), before anyone stirred. rocket woke up when i started packing up.

i was on trail a little after 07:00, for another 18 mile day. it rained on and off during the morning, stopping toward midday. i made it to a shelter i where was planning to have lunch around 12:30, but decided to skip it as i was only 4 miles from my final destination and the weather was calling for thunderstorms.

i traversed the last 4 miles and made it to 501 shelter. when i arrived there were already a few hikers here. i sat down to eat my lunch, and 10 minutes later the storm arrived.

i finished my lunch and just as the rain started to taper, rocket arrived soaked to the bone.

501 shelter is unique in that it’s 4 sided, with a door. it also has 12 bunks, and is close to a main road, so pizza can be delivered. over the next hour, the shelter filled up with wet hikers until all the bunks were filled. more arrived and took over spaces on the floor.

around 16:00 a slew of hikers, rocket and i included all ordered pizza. it took a while to show up, but once it did a feast began.

i do want to do a shout out to whomever weed whacked a few miles of trail. it was amazing!

some additional images from today: