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Trip Miles to Date: 59

The morning after Easter was bitter cold and we had to get moving to warm up. We hit the trail and covered 4 miles before stopping at Shockey’s Knob Shelter to cook a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese and salsa rolled into Tortillas. The next section of trail we knew to be fairly new construction by the PATC Cadillac Crew, and it is very fine, indeed. Reaching the farm valley below, we faced more road walking to the community of Siler. In a little country store we bought some fresh baked goodies to round out lunch, and met the overseer of the shelter we had visited that morning.

After Siler, the trail maintenance began to fall away. Recent clearing of trees had obliterated the trail and we had to go searching. The treadway disappeared and we were moving from blaze to blaze. On Monday night at Dresel Wayside camp it felt like we were in a ghost camp with old worn wobbly picnic tables and greenbrier growing in the fire pits.

Today (Tuesday) on the way to the Gore Post Office for our resupply box we passed working farms and pretty scenery. We saw cows, horses, sheep and a donkey, all of which were looking for either a hand out or a scratch on the head.

After pizza at lunch, we were back on the trail for only another 7.5 miles. However, these miles turned out to be a challenge - I don’t think this stretch of trail has seen a maintainer in years. Even the old faded Big Blue trail signs remain. The trail paralleled a jeep road for at least a couple of miles. The road was clearly and frequently marked with “no trespassing” signs. While the trail bumped along over wide sections of treacherous rock fall, the jeep road only 20 feet below was flat and clear. Who would ever know if we simply dropped down to the road to save wear on our ankles? (Will they make us take a polygraph?)

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