Hiking for Habitat: Day 45, May 6
May 6 (23 miles)
23 miles today from a grassy knob to a bridge on the Blue Ridge Parkway over Hendersonville Rd. Heavy rain last last night and heavy fog this morning. I spent the first few miles hiking on a ridgeline getting wet from water falling off the trees. My shoes and socks are falling apart. Descending from the ridge, I entered a lush green forest. Rain really highlights all the different plants on the forest floor and the leaves high up in the canopy. A short storm moved through and soaked me to the bone. I didn’t mind. The rain was refreshing after a few days of hot and humid hiking. The trail doesn’t go directly through Asheville, but there was a noticeable increase in people despite the stormy weather. I took a short expedition to a sandwich shop for lunch at one of the road crossings. At the end of the hike, I was probably the smelliest I’ve been so far on the trail. Lucky for me John Robbins, an active member of both the North Carolina Wildlife and National Wildlife Federation, picked me up and took me back to his house for the night. It was a special night meeting new people and sharing stories of the outdoors.
