By the time I woke up and ate breakfast the shelter was empty. Everyone starts early. Ponda is picking me up on Friday so I have to take it slower. Which is fine by me. Saw a couple of deer by the shelter before I left. It was an Easy day to tri knob shelter, again it was a full house. I met Connecticut, Roam and a few other characters.
Again i got to the shelter early, gathered wood and got a fire going.
One of the people that stayed with us is the ridge runner Kerry. Ridge runners get paid by the ATC to monitor the AT in the smokies. They get to work for 10 days and get 3 off. They hike shelter to shelter and make sure people follow the rules. So, if you ever wonder if the rules are enforced, they are. It's pretty amazing that some people are unable to follow basic rules. So many people don't pack their trash out, cook in the sleeping areas, leave beef jerky in their packs. I am now less surprised by the the things that happen injuries / deaths, and directly relate it to breaking the rules.
One piece of gear that i found an alternative use for is the emergency blanket. If you wrap it around your sleeping bag it gets significantly warmer. Since it resembles foil, it does crinkle all night and people will bust your chops for it. But it does mean one can get a "summer" bag and in conjuction w the blanket keep warm.
I found an issue of outdoor magazine, which is a welcome read on the trail. Outdoorsy adventures, stories, gear, etc. I'm going to pack out the magazine and send it home.
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