Bo and I had a big breakfast the morning, filled with eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, endless fruit pancakes, and coffee. Once again, everyone gave Bo their leftovers, and I delivered more sausage to Daisy. “Poppins,” Daisy, Bo, and I were shuttled together back to Unicoi Gap, and it was a very steep climb to begin with after 2 restful days prior. We navigated through lots of mountain laurel on our way to Rocky Mtn. There was an overlook that had a view of Tray Mtn, where I ate my heavy cucumber that I decided to pack out.

We climbed Tray Mtn next, and by the time we got to the top, Bo was very hot, so we took a break and then turned in at Tray Mtn Shelter. We opted for a short day today so that Bo could ease back into things after hurting his paw. Bo had lots of energy at the shelter after he had a little nap, so we’re going to shoot for 11 miles tomorrow.

My pack weighed 38 pounds, and we I started the trail with everything, and after my first resupply, it weighed 48 pounds… I definitely have a few things to learn, haha. At the hostel, I had weighed myself, and I’ve already lost 8lbs, so I need to make sure I increase my calorie intake going forward. I have also finally repaired the hole in my tent!

At the shelter, “Poppins” and I chatted. She completed a through hike back in 2017 with another dog and is now doing a section with her current dog, Daisy. She shared a scary story with me from her thru-hike. Her last dog was walking in front of her, and nose dived into the leaves, letting out a horrible squeal moments later only to reveal 2 large fang marks on its nose. A copperhead had bit the dog, and the dogs face started swelling rapidly from the venom. She just barely made it into town to get to a vet within the 24-hour window, and the dog and her had to go off trail for a bit. Sadly, 3 years later, the dog passed from liver failure due to the venom of the snake. I am now very cautious about letting Bo roam around leaf piles or down woody debris.

Day: 9

Date: 4/13/2025

Miles: 5.56

Camp: Tray Mtn Shelter

At Mile: 58.5