34.1 mi / 12.3 mph / 738 ft. climbing
Home: Jeff Busby Campground

The National Weather Service warned of “hen egg”-sized hail, amongst other severe weather chances (tornadoes, 70mph winds) for early this morning. I heard plenty of thunder in my pre-wakeful state, and some flashes were bright enough to make it through both the curtains and my eyelids, but I never felt the motel start to shake.

Curiously, the power did go out for a couple of minutes while we were making breakfast, well after the line of storms had passed. And then when we set out, a light mist coated our glasses, making it feel very much like our first day on the Trace. But there was no litter of leaves or branches to be seen anywhere along the forested corridor, so it seems the storm went easy on us.

After our previous flattish day on the Natchez Trace Parkway, hills definitely returned today, including one that used a 6% grade to bring us to nearly 600 feet above sea level, the most-rarefied air we’ve breathed since New York. After a busier bit of traffic near Kosciusko, we finally got down near the 1-overtaking-car-per-mile rate of our first day on the Trace.

The mist returned while we were eating lunch at a cypress swamp, along with surprising chilliness that made us both put on an extra top layer. Over the next couple miles, the temperature dropped at least five degrees, down to 64F, not something that normally happens at 1pm!

It remained gray and cool and slightly misty when we rolled into Jeff Busby Campground. We had roasted at our first free Trace campground several days ago, so yesterday Rett had asked if this one had shade, but it turns out that sun would be more valuable! Unlike Rocky Springs, Busby at least has water and toilets, and on this cool day, the to absence of showers didn’t even hurt too badly. However, it was even more full (at 2:15pm on Monday!) than Rocky Springs had been, and we only had two or three (vaguely defined) spots to choose from.

While we were eating dinner, the clouds finally cleared out, so I took a short hike up “Little Mountain”, which genuinely has views from the top! Rett stayed down enjoying time with Bella, whose dad is a fellow long-term (though camper-based) nomad.