AT Day 5

Elk Garden didn't have any water.  Once again Allan and I started off without any water, three miles away from the next source at the top of Whitetop Mountain.  Midway up the mountain we find a three inch puddle and fill up a water bottle.  One would think we would be better prepared for the water shortages along the trail, but as you'll see we seemed to be a little slow to learn this lesson.

We walked throughout the entire day.  We had 14 miles to complete in order to be within a one day range of Damascus.  My feet were starting to really hurt after spending another day walking on blisters.  I'm also really out of shape and the mountains were taking their toll.  Heck, I barely handled the 9 and 12 mile days.

Once again we ran out of water.  With streams and ponds littered across our path every 500 feet for the majority of the day, we failed to realize that the last 4 miles involved climbing a ridge of a mountain with absolutely no water.

The sun was starting to set.  With no clear idea of how far away the shelter was, no water, and limited day light, we continued to climb the mountain's ridge praying we'd make it in time.  At this point I was slowed to what I can only describe as a wobble.  Wobbling along, dizzy, dehydrated, Allan says stuff about digging deep and mind over matter.  I'm in another world.  We arrive at the shelter just as the sun disappears from the horizon.  Allan goes for water, I lay down.  We didn't eat, the idea of any more ramen or tuna is nauseating.

In the night I wake up long enough to vomit.  Unsure of whether it's the pain, exhaustion, or some parasite in our water, I head back to bed and hope I feel better in the morning.

Summary:
14+ miles.  Extreme suffering.