Sprout Day 178 (Wednesday, September 21, 2016)

We woke up at 5:45 a.m. and made breakfast and cowboy coffee. It was dark and the moon was still out so we grabbed our headlamps and started our daily routine. Once I've 100% decided I'm getting up for the day I sit up and immediately let the air out of my mattress. I have a quick release valve so when I open it there's no turning back! As soon as I get dressed I go grab the food bags and start boiling water. I usually have enough time to get most of my gear packed while the water is boiling and the coffee is settling.

It was a little cold this morning until the sun came up. We ended up going 12 miles to Cove Mountain Shelter. There's not any water for a good little stretch so we had to pack water up to the shelter a few miles and there's not going to be any for 6 miles tomorrow.

We packed up plenty for dinner and breakfast in the morning and enough to drink on until the next water source. Our packs were a little heavier towards the end of the day but we have to have water. We want to get up early tomorrow and get as far as we can because we still have 25 miles to Daleville.

Day: 178
Miles hiked: 11.9
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1444.2
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20

Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 2
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1