March 7th
Fern Burn Hut (km2643.5) – Roses Hut (km2660)
Mileage: 10.3mi/16.5km
My TA experience is drawing to an end and I don’t want it to. Today was a great day to take it slow. For one, the trail dove up and down along all the ridges, making for some huge gains and losses in elevation. I felt like a goat. Two, the clouds all went away and the sun was shining, making for great views galore. 
I stopped to enjoy the perfect conditions multiple times today. I even took a nap up on a ridge, propping up my umbrella for some shade over my head. It was great. I also took a bath in a creek in the forest, marveling at how steam was rising off my skin like I was at a hot springs. The air was really crisp after the rain yesterday and it feels like fall. 
I got to the hut to find it pretty busy. There were maybe 10 people but a few were tenting. I also decided to tent, but hung out in the hut until bedtime. I met two couples that were just starting the the trail going NOBO. They both planned to do the whole trail, both islands. One couple was only 16 days into their journey. That means I have only that much time left. I can barely remember what it felt like to be only 2 weeks in. It seems so long ago and far away. I wonder how they will do, it being so late in the season. 
I was surprised by how cold it was when I went back out to the tent. I was in a for a long night.