day 14 - 3/24

wow! i was so glad i was in the shelter last night. in the middle of the night a thunderstorm rolled right overhead and dropped about 2in of rain in 2 hours. i was so nice and warm and dry. it was cold out too. probably in the mid 30s. there was ice everywhere when i started from the hail thru the night.
the picture below is of me on the observation tower of the highest point on the appalachian trail, clingman's dome at 6,643ft. i also hit my 200th mile today, which felt great. to be honest, today was a challenging day of hiking. the best way to describe the trail is sloggy. just really wet and muddy the whole way. at the end of my 21mi day, with rain for the last 2mi, my feet looked like the feet of a 90yo man. it was rather grotesque. i also fell today for the first time. it wasn't anything big, but i was glad i was ok. 21mi from derrick knob to icewater spring. 207.7 total.