4-14-15 Cherry Branch

I woke up at 6 am and it was overcast and wet. It began to rain about 9 am and it got cold around 55 degrees. Everything was covered in a thick fog, visibility was down to 200' or so I was told there was a hostel on a side trail about 7 miles from the shelter but I missed it in the fog. I climbed Roan mountain around 2 pm this is the last time the AT goes over 6000' elevation until mt. Washington in NH . As I reached the summit a heavy rain fall moved in and soon the trail became a river. I decided to hike to a shelter that was converted from an old barn because the book said it  sleeps 24 people. It would not be fun to set up camp in the rain. By the time I arrived it was an hour before dark and I was thoroughly soaked to the bone and tired. I found some room on the upper level and set up my bed and hung my gear to dry. I made some hot chocolate and potatoes for dinner and called it a night.