I had a good day today, 24 miles, which was nice after the tough one
yesterday.
In the morning I had just enough water to make coffee, take my
vitamin, and brush my teeth. I wasn't worried because the next water
source was less than 2 miles, and it was all downhill too. I had a
very enjoyable breakfast that included the coffee, a clifbar, handful
of apricots, and a couple scoops of Nutella. Pretty balanced I felt.
I was out at 7:30 with Red Stick, and stayed with him most of the 10
miles to the first shelter. We made it at 12, so I had some lunch,
then I left at 12:30 while Red Stick decided to stay a bit longer. I
didn't end up seeing him again the rest of the day, or anyone else for
that matter, but it didn't bother me because hiking alone gives me
time to think and talk and sing or whatever and not be bothered. What
I ended up doing that really passed the time well was work on 3
different story ideas. I was basically thinking them up and then
telling them to myself out loud. Not only was it fun, it was
productive too. That made 7 miles fly by, but then I was a bit burnt
out creatively so I had to stop. It'll definitely be something I
continue in the future though.
Another cool thing about today was I had a lot of luck around roads.
The first bit was around 2 o'clock. I walked down one that the AT
follows, then when the trail went back up in the woods there was a big
cooler full of Gatorade type drinks. Trail magic! Then at 5:15 I was
walking along another road, this one was actually busy because it was
right near a major highway, and a man and women pull up in a van
saying they're trail angels. They offer me a soda (yes please!) and
stop to chat with me for a bit. So I was a lucky hiker today.
I went a few miles past that main road to a shelter .3 miles off the
trail. I think that's the farthest I've traveled off to get to one. I
pull in and see 7 D's here, glad to see a friendly fellow Mainer
again, as well as several new hikers I'm now just meeting. I cooked up
some rice, and also got hooked up with a doughy bread roll and some
turkey from another hiker named Ice. He did a resupply in Bland and
brought the deli meat back out with him, but had extra so he shared.
One downside about today is it looks like my tent is getting mold on
it. After I set it up I could see a lot of small specks near the top.
All these days being smooshed into my pack soaking wet has finally
taken its toll I guess. Hope it doesn't get too bad, I'm not sure if
it's something that'll damage it.
I can still hear the highway traffic from out here. It's a bit strange
to think all those drivers have no idea there's an AT shelter so close
with a bunch of people camped around it. Gonna call it a night now.
Should be in Pearisburg, VA by Saturday.
Total miles: 585.8
Just looking at your pictures again (I see you added a few...or maybe I just didn't see them before), and that picture of the pony skeleton is crazy! Cool pic. Good to see you're taking vitamins, I need to get better about taking mine...if only they made them mini-sized. Well, I got to wrap it up, we're heading to an Irish karaoke bar for Mike's last drinks. Love you!
ReplyDeleteCoon, buddy. I know it's rainy out and packing up a wet tent is one of the worst things in the world, but here are a few suggestions to help prevent molding (which will wear down the waterproofness)
ReplyDeleteShake it out as much as possible in the morning. If you get to a bald or a windy spot, stop for a few minutes and shake it out again there. Also, on days where you stay in a shelter, hang it up in the shelter. You don't want your home to be moldy! The more you shake it out the better.
Suzanne at Nemo (I think you met her at Trail Days) hiked the AT on the rainiest year on record, and she was able to keep a mold-free tent, so you should be golden.
Hi Dan! Good to hear that you're taking those alone hiking times to stay creative. Can't wait to see/read some of those stories when you get back and get a chance to actually write them out. I'm hoping it's a film in the making! Great to keep hearing that there are so many folks out there taking care of you hikers with trail magic! May good things return their way for their kindness. Sorry to hear that your tent is showing some mold beginning to take shape. Try to dry it out with every opportunity. Don't know if scrubbing it down is something one should do, but if that helps, I'll be happy to send your Mom something to do that - scrubbie, detergent or some kind of mold killing solvent, or whatever. I'll ask around. Anyway, another great mileage day, keep them coming, stay safe, stay healthy - glad to hear you're taking vitamins - keep smelling the roses and taking in the scenery. Aloha, P&J.
ReplyDelete