Miles hiked: 13.25 (2329.37 to 2342.62)
Elevation: +3032/-1976
Number of people who told us to "have fun" today: 3

Humidity + heat + not much water = generally unproductive day. If we could've just called in sick or taken a day off, we would have. Instead, there was a grumpy, hot series of climbs that normally wouldn't have been so bad. There was fresh horse shit all over the narrow trail, day hikers invaded, and all of the rain was steaming back up off the trail into our lungs like thin soup. At 3, when we reached some spring water trickling out of a pipe, we both kinda said, "fuck it." Just down the trail was a lovely campsite with a copy of "The Fellowship of the Ring" stashed in a tree hollow, zipped in a plastic bag to keep out the damp. The site was meant to be. Short on miles, but long on suffering, I'm glad this day is done.