I arrived at Bly Gap just after dark. Set up my tent and hung my food to prevent any black bears from trying to visit me... Lol.
At mile marker 78.6 I officially crossed over the state line to North Carolina!!! This was a huge milestone for me. The sign almost brought tears to my eyes.
Long distance hiking will give a grown man a good dose of humility and rawness . Here man is stripped to only the bare necessities and placed into an unfamiliar environment . Your physical and emotional being is tested to its limits. In the past 8 days, I have learned a lot about myself. I also discovered there are a lot of good people willing to help a stranger. When I decide to leave this adventure, I too will give back to mankind through random acts of kindness.
Tomorrow I plan to push to Standing Indian Shelter. The climb will be all uphill for 9.5 miles.
I am now snug in my sleeping bag listing to the wind gently breeze though the trees and the Bard Owls calling out to each other . Good night..
