After zip lining back across the stream we hit the trail again. Everyone kind of spread out at their own pace, though we would see each other throughout the day.

Saw/heard chipmunks all over the forest floor for the first couple hours of the day.  It was nice to see the forest coming alive!

I passed into the Mountain Lake Wilderness where exploration comes before spelling!

At lunch I had to carve a spoon out of a stick so I could eat.  (Left mine on Pearisburg)

It wasn’t perfect, but it got the job done.

As the trail gained elevation, it once again became very rocky before dropping down into open pasture.

After just over 20 miles, I was ready to call it a night, so I found a place near a stream to hang my hammock with the plan to catch up with the others at Four Pines Hostel tomorrow.