Tuesday June 19, miles today 13.1, miles from Springer 261.4

It is late Spring and flowers are blooming.  I decided to take pictures of them today but I don't know what they are.

We left Groundhog shelter at about 7:30 am and had an early climb, I was feeling a little fatigued and fell behind.  By late morning I caught up as the guys were having coffee at Max Patch summit.  Max Patch was an early colonial site where the settlers cleared the trees to graze livestock.  The area was covered by low brush and blooming flowers with great views in every direction.  There was parking nearby and several day hikers.  For folks in the area this would be another nice two hour trip.  The thunder storm came early so we got back on the trail and went down to Nealing Fork shelter for lunch.  Three women came in led by one who had hiked the AT a couple years before.  The eight women and three dogs we saw the night before started to trickle in and camped below.  We ate and spent a couple hours trying to find a place to stay tomorrow at Hot Springs, NC.

That night there was a fierce thunder storm.  I woke up and realized my feet were wet.  The shelter was leaking.  I woke Obi Wan who was in the same situation.  We scrambled around drying our pads and sleeping bags and finding dry spots to sleep.  We woke Major Tom, but no amount of thunder, the pounding of rain on a tin roof, scrambling and flash lights could wake Hellcat from his beauty rest.