Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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August 23, Smarts Mtn - mile 1749.6

Wow, am I tired! I can't believe how exhausted I am after climbing this mountain, but the other fellas here are just as pooped, so I guess I'm not the only one who got whupped by it. Even still, I had a very enjoyable day. It started out a little rough because I was still felling pretty sick this morning and I had several bouts of cramps that hit so bad I just had to double over and wait for a few minutes for them to pass. Luckily by noon, I started feeling better, though. The views along the trail are starting to get more frequent, which I really like. I also got a close up view of a woodpecker eating grubs, which was a first for me. Usually I can hear them all over the forest but I can never actually see them. This one was right alongside the trail, beating his little head into that tree like there was no tomorrow. It was fascinating to watch him.

Tonight we're staying in a cabin on the very top of this mountain - it used to be the fire warden's cabin right next to the fire tower up here. It seems he did not really live the life of luxury! There would barely be room for a bed, stove and a small table in here, but I expect that's probably all he had, too. For tonight it will be a nice and cozy place to stay. The one drawback is that the spring has dried up, so we all had to pack a gallon up from the last water source, which happened to be a lady's house along the trail (nice lady!) but that means 8 pounds of water on my back and that's a tough haul. Unfortunately we're likely to have to pack water a lot in the days ahead since everything here is so dry. As much as I dislike hiking long days in steady rain, I'm afraid that's what we really need in this area to help relieve the drought.