Day 10, July 31, 2020

Flip Flop Burger, Reliance, TN to Loss Creek

Mile 121.6

Hiked out late because it was a low miles (9.7) day and I prefer to kill time in the morning, especially where there are backrests. Also, I had a conversation with an actual human being this morning—and, no, it wasn’t myself. So that was worth hanging around awhile.

The heat of the day obliterated within seconds any trace of the shower I scored last night. Like I told my new friend, Bruce, I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m going to be on the spectrum from moderately damp to totally drenched for the next month. Such is the reality of hiking in the South in July.

Every afternoon, the skies start rumbling and most days are punctuated by water falling from the sky. If you’re lucky, the rain comes later, after you’ve pitched your tent and have a place to go till the thunder storm scatters.

Tonight, I was lucky.

Except that I wasn’t.

Sure, I got into my tent when the rain started.

But I’d set up my tent in a low spot and before long, the water that wasn’t flowing under me—my tent floor felt like a waterbed—was rising all around me. I was floating on my air mattress inside my tent. And my tent is old enough to no longer be 100% waterproof on the bottom.

The good news: it’s waterproof enough that I didn’t have to bail.

More good news: I was able to move the whole set up to drier ground when the rain eased up, before it started again.

The bad news: I wondered whether I’m really having fun out here. I thought about quitting.

I had to remind myself: “Don’t quit on a rainy day.”

And I had to reiterate the fun parts:

Cookies for breakfast.
Bathing naked in a stream.
The bliss of the first breeze in days.
The black snake with his head in a hole. He takes forever to notice me, and another forever to realize I might be a threat, before he finally doubles back on himself and shoots off into the weeds.