Day 2: Crampton Gap Shelter

9.1 miles

We got off to a late start this morning with some of the last minute things we had to do. We hit the trail which included a small section of the C&O Canal. At Crampton Gap Shelter we opted to set up the tent because the shelter was small and a ways down. So after getting our water, we went back up to the first campsite. After we set up we laid down for a few minutes of rest. As we were resting we could hear thunder moving in. We got up and brought everything inside the tent just before the storm hit. And boy did it hit. At first we didn't have too much trouble. The tent kept out the rain but we did have a bit of splash back. The problem was the rain came down so hard the tent area (bounded by wood beams) started to fill up and worked its way through the bottom mes. We had a couple waves of storm pass. As soon as it was gone and the rain tapered off, we grabbed everything and ran down to the shelter. We eventually got the tent when the rain finally stopped. What a first day of hiking on the AT.