Bear bags have become a challenge. The Forest Service closed the section below Neels Gap due to a bear that knows how to get the bags down. But last night a hiker above Neels Gap had his bag yanked down, as did a weekend hiker and his son the night before. It looks like this smart bear just shifted north to continue marauding. I hear that another bear near Bly Gap knocks down bags too.
For the past several days I have been hiking just about as hard as I can. Today was 22.5 miles, most of it climbing or descending. For this type of trail and number of hours of daylight, that is about as good as it is going to get.
The other challenge for keeping a strong pace is the rocky footing, especially downhill. Yesterday I fell once, rolled an ankle twice, and bent a knee backward. That's when I was going very slowly.
Is the pace I kept on the other hikes unrealistic here?
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