Sprout Day 82 (Friday, June 17th, 2016) (NEED PICTURES)

We went 13.1 miles today and ended our day at Melville shelter. It was a good hike with a lot of inclines. We also passed a few beaver ponds.

We woke up today and had cowboy coffee and Captain Crunch. The trail has been a little more crowded since we hit the Long Trail. Last night and tonight there were more people than usual at the shelters. We still found a good a spot for camping. We were debating on grabbing water and heading down the trail until we found a flat spot to camp but we made it work and found a little hidden spot.

We met a thru hiker by the name of Rain earlier on the trail. He said once we got to Route 9 to look for a Windstream pull-along camper and his wife would be there with cold drinks. I made it there and found the camper! His wife Sprinkles was there and so was Rain with a few other hikers. Sprinkles had cold drinks and a few snacks, it was perfect. We were all sitting there for awhile and they asked if we wanted to go get something to eat, we decided on Chinese food because there was a restaurant a few miles down the road. It was nice to sit down and eat, just having a chair to rest on with a back support was amazing! Last year Rain and Sprinkles set off to complete the Appalachian Trail, however, Sprinkles got hurt. They still managed to finish half of the trail. This year Rain wanted to come back and finish it but Sprinkles didn't feel up to it. They came up with the idea of Sprinkles driving down the trail and Rain meeting up with her at different parking spots along the trail. They offer trail magic along the way. They were the sweetest couple and definitely made our day! She stopped at a gas station on the way back so we could grab some snacks and anything else we needed. Thank you so much Sprinkles and Rain! We had a great time getting to know you guys and the Chinese food was exactly what we needed.

We got back on the trail and had 1.3 miles to the next shelter, which wasn’t bad. The problem was that we just ate a bunch of food and the incline was pretty steep. I was so happy to make it to camp but realized it was kind of filled up. Whiskers went down the trail to scope out a spot for a couple of tents but we decided we were good where we were. Everyone found a good place to set up for the night and we hung our bags and got ready for bed. We were sitting at the picnic table and I started to hear a drum off in the distance. As soon as we laid down a concert started down over the mountain somewhere. It’s still going on and it sounds like they’re having a great time. I don't think the music will keep me up because I’m tired after today but what are the chances that a concert would be going on so close to where we're trying to sleep?

Today was great and I'm thankful for each and every day on the trail. We are lucky and truly blessed to be out hiking and experiencing all the different sceneries and emotions that come along with the hike. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and begin a new day! A guy staying at the shelter saw a Momma bear and her two cubs earlier so I'll be keeping an eye out for some wildlife tomorrow.

Day: 82
Miles hiked: 13.1
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 737.8
Bears: 0
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Horses: 12
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1

Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 2
Squirrels: 11
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1