I started and ended the day in my sleeping bag listening to rain. Too bad it also rained during the day. In the morning I successfully waited out the rain for a couple hours. This earned me at least a two hour reprieve. The whole day was spent in the clouds so I couldn't see much. That's a shame because I traversed some areas that must have excellent views. It reminded me of hiking the Long Trail in 2005. Rain, clouds, wet rocks and slabs, low vegetation, and no views. That particular spot was called Rough Ridge but there were others.

Of course the rain increased the flow of the multitude of streams and cascades encountered today. Surprisingly the trail wasn't very muddy. There were a number of bridges and lots of rock hopping that helped keep my feet relatively dry.

It was a good day of interesting walking despite the rain and clouds. I sure took a lot of pictures especially considering there was no visibility. I even shot a couple movies. Besides Rough Ridge other highlights were the Upper Boone Fork bridge, Grandfather Mtn, Boulder Field, Linn Cove Viaduct, and Stack Rock. All those features required lots of up and down often on rough hewn stone steps. It was a strenuous day. I noticed in the guidebook there is an "exceptionally strenuous" section soon. Should be interesting.