Day 26 (Thursday, May 8th) - Brown Gap to Unnamed Gap Campsite

Heading up Max Patch

Today's Miles: 12.30 
Trip Miles: 262.90

12.3 miles today. I woke up early, packed up and headed out ahead of the kids. I just needed to move. The heebie jeebies.

The day began with a climb out of the gap, not too bad. Lots of woods. Treed in all around until Max Patch Road. I met Onesimus, a trail angel/proselytizer, who offered me an orange and a soda and talked of the end of days. I told him that the end of days would be less dramatic than he thought, and that I'd see him on the other side. He plans on following the trail so I'm sure I'll see him again. He's got a cool dog called Spencer that travels with him. I left a message with him for the kids to meet me on Max Patch.

The trail off the Patch

It was a nice hike up, the trees giving way to open fields. They keep Max Patch as a grass covered bald by controlled burns. It used to be kept clear by grazing cattle. There's a road that takes day hikers most of the way up. I met a few who were heading back down, and had the summit to myself. I found the geo marker for the top and laid down next to it in the grass to wait for the trio.

Taking a break on the patch

Thirty minutes later Duck Tape came up. He said M and N stopped at a stream so Natalie could soak her swollen ankle. They showed up a while later. We hung out, ate and enjoyed the view. We hiked out together for the last eight miles to unnamed gap. The water is a half mile away, but the site is a good one; flat with plenty of wood for a fire. Lots of black flies though.

All of our phones are dead. We had asked Amy to book us a room, and last we heard she was having difficulty. We'll see tomorrow. Definitely need to do laundry and take a shower, we all stink.

Well, I'm beat. Time for bed. TTFN.

Max Patch view