Last night, I had a very restful sleep and woke up feeling well-rested, accompanied by the sounds of chirping birds. As I opened my eyes, this serene scene unfolded before me. How often do you experience such a tranquil morning?

Oh my goodness, if you're heading northbound like we were, right after leaving the Tumbling Run Shelters, the trail ascends 1,000 feet in just about a mile. We took numerous breaks and finally reached Chimney Rock in an hour. Approximately 0.1 miles east of the AT, we enjoyed stunning views from the rock outcropping on Buzzard Peak. Exhausted from the climb, we took a lengthy break to admire the scenery.

After a 10-mile hike, we concluded this section hike at Caledonia State Park. I am truly grateful to my friend Chetan for accompanying me on my fourth section hike. I was very impressed with his performance, especially considering that this was his first-ever backpacking trip.

The adventure wasn't over yet; we still needed to reach our car, which was parked 18 miles away at Pen Mar State Park. Unfortunately, we didn't have any signal on our cell phones to call a taxi or Uber. After walking another mile or so outside the park, we finally found a cell signal and called for an Uber. We reached Pen Mar State Park, retrieved our car, and drove home.