Chadwell Gap to Hensley's Settlement

Wow!  That was a tough hike.  We hiked over 8 miles and were on the trail over 7 hours.  The weather was warm and sunny until we got to the Ridge trail which crosses over into Kentucky on the north side of the mountain.  Up there, the wind fierce and the snow from Tuesday afternoon had not melted.  We hiked in about 6 inches of snow for the last mile, and observed tracks of raccoon, coyote, deer, and......bear.  A big bear it seemed had meandered around Hensley's settlement.  Thankfully we didn't encounter the bear; the tracks looked a couple of days old.  We ate lunch at Hensley's Settlement and didn't tarry long there.  I think all of us were anxious to get back for some southern trail exposure!