Day 39

Was looking forward towards today's hike. Laurel Falls was one of the highlights from last time so I was excited for another good weather day this time to hike through. Temperatures dropped to freezing last night for the first time in a while. Glad none of us ditched our warm gear yet. Probably won't until the end of April. 
The trail drops down into a gorge/rhododendron forest which follows the river for around 2-3 flat miles. I stayed for a long lunch at the big falls before starting the climb out. 
It was a lot colder near the waterfall. I imagine this would be an awesome spot to swim for a southbounder in the summer. 
After lunch we started the 2000ft climb out of the gorge. 
Here is a great view of Watuaga Lake, which we will walk around tomorrow morning. 
We hiked 17.1 miles today and ended at mile 428.7

We have three days to Damascus, and on Friday, Patches family will meet us for some trail magic in the morning! 

Happy Trails 🌲 

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