Today I passed the 100 mile mark. The spot was nothing special. Just a rock on the side of the trail upon which someone has written "100 mi". I stopped briefly and congratulated myself, then pushed ahead towards the next 100... The weather was beautiful again today and the hiking was very enjoyable. The climbs in NC seem to be a little less intense than GA. Or maybe I'm just starting to get into shape! In any case I moved along at a good pace for most of the day. There was one BIG climb today and it was a killer! At one point I was basically climbing straight up and even had to use my hands to pull myself up a bit. At the top of Albert Mtn there was a fire tower. I was too tired to climb the tower stairs but the view was great from the base as well. I didn't stay long. I knew that I was up against a nasty storm and wanted to get as close to the next town as possible... I made it to the Rock Gap shelter at 5:30pm and considered pushing on another 4mi to the intersection of Hwy 64 where I could hitch into Franklin NC and avoid sleeping in the rain again. Unfortunately, it began to rain lightly just as I got to the shelter so I decided I'd better get my tent setup ASAP. It rained lightly on and off until I finally finished up dinner and went to bed at 8pm. I was awoken at 10:30pm by the WORST thunderstorm I Have ever experienced. It lasted until around 3:30am and I was thankful to still be alive. I'm only slightly exaggerating. It was an experience that I do not wish to relive again... EVER! 103.9mi down (plus a near death storm)... Only 2,077.1 to go!
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