Today has been my favorite day on this trail so far.

A little after midnight, the shelter crew and I were woken up by thundersnow. The world was an intense place for half an hour. We had loud claps right up on our ridge and almost an inch of snow came along with it. Very intense weather. It was blowing snow inside the shelter, but by the time everyone had covered up with tarps, it was calming down.

Hiking today was mostly through snow and mud.  Early in the morning, Mango was at a road providing trail magic. It was cold, so it was the gesture and conversation that was most appreciated.

Up we went. We had a quick lunch at a shelter. I learned of the existence of bottled water marketed at infants.

Snow became deeper and more continuous as we headed up Roan Mountain. It was windy and freezing. It was beautiful and a fun adventure. I hiked again with Llama Legs. It was almost like gliding on the snow covered trail. The conditions made the views from the two balds we crossed all the better.

A crew joined in for a twenty four mile day. Most of them didn’t want to stay up in the cold and  snow at the highest shelter on the trail. Nearly two dozen of us are clustered here at Overmountain Shelter. It’s an old barn. It has a great view, and the conversation is flowing. Some of us have retired to our bags to warm a days worth of frozen feet.

Today confirmed my love of snow walking. This is my last night on the trail before I head back to California. It’s up in the air whether I will be continuing this hike. I’ll know in two weeks time.