More miles

So yesterday was 25 miles, but today (26th) wasn't so ambitious. Well, the reality didn't meet the ambition, anyway. I woke up and packed up, leaving the shelter before Buttercup and the freight jumper (I didn't realize that was still a thing) woke up. After collecting my food from the bear box, I ran into Pooh Bear. He had set his hammock up right where the Glen Brook shelter trail had diverged from the AT. We talked for a few minutes, then I pushed on. He was going to let his gear dry out before packing. 

Nothing particularly memorable about the morning. Buttercup caught up with me eventually, and we decided to hit up a grill that was .4 off the trail. We got there fifteen minutes before they opened, so we sat down to wait. There was an outlet, so we charged our phones. They never did open, so we made lunch from our packs and ate at their picnic tables. Probably wasted at least an hour there. 

On the way back to the trail, however, we came across an automotive repair place with a vending machine. We both got a Coke. They also allowed us to fill our water bottles from their office water cooler. Good people.  

Getting back on the trail, we hiked at a good clip until Buttercup cut off her sentence with a little gasp. Snapping turtle. Pretty decent sized one. Sitting right on the trail. She'd never seen one before, and was delighted about it. She thought it looked prehistoric. 

A little while after the turtle adventure, we came across another obstacle. This time a lake, in the middle of the trail. I'm chivalrous, so I let Buttercup go first. The water ended up being mid-thigh on me, and cold. But no snapping turtles in the water, so we were happy. 

The day sort of dragged though. We talked to a lot of people, and just generally took it easy, which was great, but led to some night hiking. Long day, especially following the previous days miles. Lot of ups and downs, also. Got into the Shaker Campsite just before midnight. When I opened the bear box, I was shocked that it was nearly full. Definitely expected the site to be empty, but it is summer. Long day. 

The stare down. 

Left him alone. Scary. 

The fording. She's almost through, I'm in the deep spot. 

And these guys have found the dragon from The Neverending Story. 

1500 or so.

Went to Salisbury today (25th). The AT ran pretty close to it, and I was craving a Coke. I had only camped a few miles short of town. Pretty nice place. Went into a coffee shop/bakery. Had some coffee and an ice cream sandwich, made with their cookies and local ice cream. One of the locals described her town as "schnitzy." I'd never heard that word before, but I was digging it. Schnitzy. 

Ran into Pooh Bear, he was leaving town. I went to the grocery store (classy!) and got a Boarshead turkey Sausalito and horseradish cheddar sandwich. So good. So very good. 

Hiking out, I ran into Chris from Conneticut, a real good guy and a photographer for the newspaper and former deputy. He kept trying to give me stuff to help me out. I appreciated it, but I had everything I needed. I got him to take some pictures of me with my camera, so I've got some professional photos of me at a great view. He also knew Tim Hetherington. 

While we were talking also met a really nice lady, but unfortunately I'm drawing a blank on her name, but I think her dogs name was Zip....or something like that. I meant to write the names down, but completely forgot. 

Ran into Buttercup and we hiked the rest of the day together. She's good company. An ultra-marathoner who went to Cornell. Some people are just over-achievers. But funny and interesting. 

We hiked to a shelter because it was going to rain.  A smaller shelter, but there was only one other girl there when we got there. Well, and her dog. I was going to pet the tiny chihuahua looking thing, but was warned "she's not that friendly." 

Apparently the dog just got out of impoundment for biting someone else.
Always a good idea to bring the friendly dogs into the shelters. The dog also periodically let out the most piteous whines, at a rather high decibel. At two in the morning. At least we were dry. 

Thanks, Chris!

Oh yeah, 1500 miles. 

Buttercup along one of the ledges. 

Days after Kent.

Yesterday (23rd) wasn't that great. Was planning on leaving very early from Kent, but realized in the morning that I'd lost my camera somewhere. So that wasn't fun. I thought I might have left it in Shorts' van, but he sent me a text telling me no. So it must have been somewhere I was yesterday. So I backtracked to all the places I'd been, in the opposite order of the way I'd visited them the first time, drawing blank after blank. Finally, I checked Annie Bananies, which I'd saved for last because I was sure I hadn't left it there. Yep. The wonderful lady behind the counter retrieved it for me. I had left it there the morning of the day before. 

So that was great, but all said and done, I didn't leave Kent until after 1400. 

The campsite I went to, Silver Hills or something like that, was really nice. There was a picnic area, a swing, and a pump. Most shelters I've been to didn't have these amenities. One-step, a section-hiker, was there. Buttercup showed up later. She attempted a thru-hike last year, but was injured around Kent, so she was back to finish. She is extremely ambitious, attempting to finish on July 25. To me, that's fast. But she is an ultra-marathon runner. Impressive woman. 

Today, well, sucked. I slept terribly, woke up late and was the last one out of camp. I felt tired and drained. Didn't see a hiker all day. 

First person I saw was a guy running, and he invited me to stay at his place for the evening, but he was doing a long run and there was no way I was going to walk the several miles off the trail to his place. Appreciated the offer, though. 

Soon after that was the turn off to a small town where I could grab some food and a coke. But I missed it. Instead of backtracking, I pushed on. I cut the day shorter than I'd planned, a little under twenty, I guess. I just camped on a flat spot just off the trail. Bad day. 

They found my phone! Thanks!

Random selfie. 

Kent

So went rock climbing today. My wife is going to be so much better than me when I get home that she's going to embarrass me. And then laugh because she's cold-hearted and British. 

Me, Lady Moose, Da Vinci, Dinosaur, and Beandip started hiking towards the Kent trailhead. They waited at the road for Shorts to show up, but I started walking into town. Figured I'd take care of some stuff while waiting. Before I could get there, a van rolled up and Lady Moose asked me if I wanted any candy. I laughed and jumped in. 

We drove into town and stopped at the bakery. This place was awesome. First off, there was that smell. If you've ever walked into a good bakery early in the morning, you know what I'm talking about. That delicious wonderful odor that promises you that you will enjoy stuffing yourself. 

Second, the food was as good as it smelled. Third, the staff were exceptionally friendly. We talked for quite a while, about everything from mix tapes to the trail. When we were checking out, they just loaded us up with all of their goods that were on sale (the day old stuff). Enough food for all of us all day. And gooood pastries. Apricot danishes, sweet cornbread, and other assorted deliciousness. 

And then to the cliffs. The climbing was literally on the trail. A few miles farther than I was, but we had hikers walking past as we climbed. It was a little annoying because I was going to have to go backwards and then hike back to the same place again, but no big deal. Fun climbs, but fairly easy grades, which was good since we were climbing in our hiking shoes. This was to be my last excursion in my shoes, as I was picking up my new ones in Kent.  I was the only experienced lead belayer besides Shorts, so I belayed him while he lead the climbs. Fun stuff. 

At around two, Shorts drove me back into Kent and dropped me off so I could pick my shoes up at the ice cream place/ outfitter. Another great place. Milkshakes! A close second to new shoes for excitement. 

My new shoes were... well... nice. It's hard to explain without using over the top superlatives. If you've never hiked for hundreds of miles in the same pair and run them into the ground day after day, then it's hard to explain the relief new shoes bring to your feet. It's mostly just an absence of ever present pain. Well, a lessening of it, anyway. 

So now I wanted to wash my clothes. Small problem. The laundromat in Kent had a strict "No hikers allowed" policy. For real. Apparently someone decided to wash all of their clothes. Naked hikers in a place of business can be an emotionally trying experience, so I can't really blame the lady. There are some hikers out here who have serious entitlement issues. They believe that because they are hiking the trail, they are deserving of everyone's assistance, going so far as to be angry when someone doesn't give them something. What they don't understand is that we are pretty much on vacation. A sometimes horrible one, but it's our choice. It's kinda like going to Hawaii and then getting pissed when they don't give you free room and board. I digress. 

So I wanted clean clothes. Well, I figured I could go ask politely, and worst that happens is I'm turned away. So off I go to face the dragon in its den. 

The owner wasn't there. Instead, a friend of hers was manning the shop. He asked me to step outside, and we talked. Basically he was cool with me utilizing the facilities as long as I wore clothes and didn't stand in the sink. I am not exaggerating or making anything up. However, if anyone asked, I was actually a lumberjack from the next town over (can't remember which one).  Rather bemused, I washed my clothes. While doing so, the owner arrived. She didn't say anything to me, though I think she glared at me. I might have imagined it, but she got called to a call while I was there (she's an EMT) and I had no issues. I did feel some guilt at feeling happy that there was an emergency call. 

Then I went back to Annie Bananies (the ice cream place) for a milkshake. But I got side lined by a chocolate/coffee shop. It was about as amazing as you'd expect. Ran into Pilot and Navigator and they told me about Country Clothes, a store that allowed camping behind it, with an outdoor shower. Good people. So I went ahead and set up camp. 

Watched the Portugal game at the pizza place. Pizza was good, last 5 seconds not so much. Better than a loss. Started talking with some of the local guys. UConn fans. "The only teams ever to.." I broke in. "Win both men's and women's. I know. Twice, I know!" They were a good group of guys. Kept trying to buy me a beer, which I turned down. Good town. 

The lovely, extremely hiker-friendly ladies from the bakery. They started our day out awesome. 

Going climbing!

Shorts and the ladies preparing. 

The Country Clothes welcoming cat. Legit. 

 

Connecticut.

Today (the 21st) was one of my best days on trail. Just a great day all around. Started walking this morning with Dino. This was the first time in a while I'd actually hiked with her, and she is great company. 

Bean Dip had taken off really early because she wanted to make it to town and pick up some shoes she had ordered. If I'd realized, I probably would have gone with her, as I was going to do the same thing. Da Vinci caught up with and passed us, she was on a mission today, and she wanted to catch Bean Dip. 

The trail was excellent. Very nice here in Connecticut. There was a covered bridge a little off the trail that I was pretty excited about. I don't know why. I just like them. It was hard to explain to Dino why I was excited. "So, it's just a bridge, with a roof?" "Well, yeah." She agreed to humor me, I think mostly because there was a shop that sold ice cream just past the bridge. 

A cooler! Don't get your hopes up Midnight, it's probably empty. It's not! Mt. Dew Code Red in cans! I was just craving those last night, how awesome. Even better, Dino tried one and didn't like it (crazy Germans), so I got to finish hers. It was already a good day. 

We came across a work crew, a bunch of Ridgerunners and volunteers who were improving the trail. No wonder this place had such great trails, they were working their tails off. Tilt-a-whirl, one of the guys who'd left the trail magic, was one of them. We talked with them for a while. They knew who Dino and I were from word of mouth, which is always a good if somewhat worrisome a feeling. Some were former thru-hikers, one of which was vegan, so she and Dino had an in depth talk while I talked with Tilt. Dino pushed on, and I spoke with some of the other Ridgerunners, and one of them suggested that it would be great if I got rid of any in invasives I came across (obviously meaning plants). I said "The German girl!? She's really not that bad!" They were a good group. 

We ran into Calamity, and hiked with her a while. I told Dino how Calamity Jane was a famous American character from the Wild West. But then no one I asked had ever heard of her. Calamity and I just looked at each other. I felt old. 

The covered bridge was nice, I suppose, but somewhat disappointing.  I was hoping for one of those gorgeous views from the calendars. The ice cream, however, was excellent. Ben and Jerry's deliciousness. Dino and I got a pint each and split them with each other.  Calamity, a flip-flopper and thus new to the trail, made a rookie mistake and only got one ice cream bar. She went back and got a second. She won't make that mistake again. 

Lady Moose caught up with us when we got back on trail.  She announced her presence with a loud "Yaow!" This is how we identify ourselves to each other. The four of us walked together for quite a while, then Dino and Calamity pushed ahead. Lady Moose and I hiked together for a while. She's an excellent hiking partner, as well. Quite funny and interesting. I don't think I'd actually hiked with her since the Shenandoahs. 

At the shelter were two kids out camping with their uncle. I dubbed them Redbeard and Blackbeard, as they liked pirates. Then I taught them the "Yaow!" battlecry. They took to it well. I hope I didn't create monsters, but they were good kids. 

We were camped about a mile outside of Kent at a shelter.  A lot of hikers were there, including Pooh Bear, Chef, Stakes, Cliffwalker, Da Vinci, Dino, Bean Dip, and Lady Moose. The ladies invited me to go rock climbing on the morrow, which sounded fun. I had to zero anyway so I could pick up my mail on Sunday, so sounded good to me. Just an all around great day. 

Dino and some section hikers. 

Full of delicious Code Reds. They can call me whatever they want. 

Dino and the Ridgerunners. 

More people working hard to make my hike easier (these are the ones who wanted me to get rid of the German). 

Me and the covered bridge. 

The 19th

Left the Friary this morning rather late, 0830ish. It was raining pretty hard when we woke up. The womenfolk went on an adventure with a lady they'd met the previous night and ended up in Brooklyn. 

I just hiked. Through wet trails. Kind of a miserable morning. New York is apparently one giant swamp. Who knew? All kinds of interesting tidbits you pick up on this trail. Mosquitoes are cruel and insidious little buggers. And picaridin repellent needs to be reapplied every 7-8 hours. 

On the plus side, there were a lot of planks and boardwalks. I don't want to imagine the misery this part of the trail would have been before those were emplaced. Shudder. 

Around late afternoon I came by a lake/state park. Concession stands weren't open today, but I thought I'd take the short detour to see what was up. There was supposed to be a shower, and I really wanted to be clean. At the worst I figured I'd jump into the lake. 

Well, the place was closed. Even the restrooms were locked up, and the water fountains were turned off. However, there was a shower. One of those outdoor jobs like you see commonly at beaches. I pushed the button half-heartedly, expecting it to be turned off also. Wonder of wonders, not only water came out, but hot water came rushing out. 

Now I had a dilemma. I wanted a shower, but this was right in the open. Sure, no one was around, but I could see a busy road, though pretty far away. And this was beside the parking area, as well. Heck with it, I wanted to be clean. I prepped my stuff for a quick get-a-way, looked for cameras, then stripped down and got clean. Hot water is amazing, and for my readers who haven't gone without, there's no way you can understand that satisfying feeling of washing off the grime without being miserably cold. 

I cleaned up without incident, and hiked on down the road. A few miles farther down was the RPH shelter, one of those ones you can order pizza from. It was a nice place, bunks, and even a door and windows. Which was mildly amusing since one wall was missing. 

When I got to the shelter, Ro Sham Bo had already ordered pizza, but I got him to call back and add a root beer and Gatorade onto the order for me. Also worked out cuz Shakespeare gave me a slice of pizza he couldn't eat.

Peppa showed up, covered in hives. She was stung in the morning and broke out. She had taken some Benadryl and was much better. She probably should have gone to the hospital, but she took some more Benadryl. I was trying to figure out what I had on hand to perform a cric with if I had to, and what legal problems would occur. Simba had an Epi-pen prepped. So you're not in suspense, she lived. 

Waiting out the rain in the morning. 

The rain burning off. 

More swamp. 

Just thought the sky looked pretty. 

Nice and smooth. 

RPH shelter. 

A better day.

Went to the zoo today. For realz. 

Today (18th) was just a much better day. I think pure temperature was actually even hotter, but there was a breeze all day long and mostly shaded pathways, so it felt much cooler. 

The trail also ran through Bear Mountain State Park, and the closest we get to NYC. Bear Mountain was pretty nice, easy graded walking, a lovely lake, and a zoo and museum. When I walked up there, the lake was pretty busy with civilians. There was this one lady in a dress who was waving at me. I was confused, until I got closer and saw backpacks. It was Peppa, who I honestly didn't recognize at first. Ro Sham Bo, Shakespeare, Marshmallow (who's been knighted, now he's Sir Marshmallow of the Mountain), Sole Power, Purple Blaze, and Purple Blaze's two great aunts. It was nice to see thru-hikers again. They were all staying there, except PB who was going with her family. 

At this point the AT literally runs right through the middle of a zoo. No exotic animals, only indigenous ones, but still neat. Saw my ninth bear. Foxes, porcupines, various snakes, etc. The lowest point on the whole trail is directly in front of the bear cage. I also checked out the history museum until they ran me out because they closed at 1630. 

As soon as I left the zoo I crossed the Hudson. Big river. Also, the middle of the bridge was 1400 miles. Long ways. Ugh. Still almost 800 to go. Also a long ways. 

The rest of the hike was interesting, I just had to make it to the Appalachian Deli, a 24 hr establishment right on the trail that was listed in the guide as a good place for a full resupply and to grab a bite to eat. I was pretty much out of food, so needed to resupply pretty bad. 

This became my first experience with the rude New Yorker. Almost everyone I met so far in NY has been friendly and polite. This guy was like the Soup Nazi. Luckily that's an episode of Seinfeld I saw. I asked if the burgers were good, so he throws his arms up and says "I don't know, I guess." So I say okay, I'll take that with the steak fries. "You want Philly Cheesesteak fries?" I asked him what those were, and he threw up his hands muttering and turned away from me to finish the other orders already in. He ignored me for a few minutes, until he was finished with everyone else's stuff, then asked me again what I wanted.  I said "I want the Double Burger with the steak fries." He said okay and started working on it. The resupply was not a full one. It was expensive and lacking a lot. It was convenient, however. I got mostly cookies to sustain me the next two or three days. Literally. With peanut butter and some honey to round my diet out. 

About a mile farther up was the Gratmoor Spurituality Center, a Friary. They let hikers stay on their ball field, where they had a picnic shelter with electricity as well as a shower, that only had cold water. Very, very cold water. Even better, the ladies were there. Dino, Beandip, Da Vinci, and Lady Moose. It was good to hear their adventures over the past couple of days. Myself, Beandip, and Dino set our beds on picnic tables. Da Vinci and Lady Moose were in Da Vinci's tent, because of mosquitoes. Those buggers have been nasty. Tomorrow should be a nice day of hiking. 

Foxes at the zoo. 

The Hudson. 

1400 miles. Long way. 

Twenty more miles.

Got a kind of later start. Was freezing this morning, and even though I woke up at a reasonable time, just couldn't brave the cold. I finally did, of course, but I didn't leave the shelter until after 9. Before I left, I checked on Peppa. Her hives were completely gone.  She said, "You know, most days you wake up and you don't have hives, it's just another day. Today it's like, "Yay! I don't have hives!"" I laughed. 

Probably the coolest thing about today's hike was the Dover Oak, the biggest tree on the AT. This thing was massive and no photo can really capture it's presence. It looms. Over three hundred years old and over 22' around. Big guy. 

Most of the rest of the trail was swamp. Literally. I never realized, but apparently the state of New York is actually one giant swamp. Lot of boardwalks, though. I would probably have quit and gone home if I had to wade these swamps. They look miserable. Really appreciate whoever built these boardwalks. 

I ended up at the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. This is for real. A small station where they not only drop people off, but also pick them up. I was so tempted to head into Brooklyn to visit Action Vegan, but decided against it. Too many miles still to go. 

Ended up camping at a hiker friendly landscaping company. It is right on the trail, and apparently they have a shower also, though they were closed when I got there. There was a deli half a mile down the road, so I went there and got a sandwich, chocolate milk, and coke. I also picked up some stuff for other people.  Stakes, Cliffwalker, Calamity (just met her), Simba, Dino, Beandip, Da Vinci, and Lady Moose all stayed there, but I was the only one who wanted to walk to the deli. Good food. Twenty more miles down. 

Random selfie.   

Beaver dam, w/instructions. 

The Dover Oak, trekking poles for some scale. 

Some non-swamp areas. 

So much boardwalk. Very nice. 

The AT train station. 

Hot. So very hot.

The entire day (17th) was just blazing hot. It was mostly exposed rock scrambling, also, so no shade and the reflected heat was even more miserable. Bad day. 

The evening turned out well. The only thing keeping me going was the promise of vending machines at Lake Tiorati. Got there, and there were some picnics going on, and some awesome soccer players gave me cold water and a delicious shish kebab. There was also an ice cream vending machine! I also filled all of my water bottles up from a fountain, which was nice since I was completely dry. After  leaving there, I hiked maybe another mile, then found a giant boulder to climb and set my bedroll on. Turned out to be a pretty nice place to sleep. 

The Lemon Squeezer. 

Selfie. 

The hard way. 

The easy way. 

Another state down.

Yesterday morning the ladies (Lady Moose, Dinosaur, Bean Dip, and Da Vinci) caught up with Geared Up and me. They came into Unionville before we left. I had my milkshake. It was great. I think I'm going to continue this milkshake for breakfast thing even when I get back from the trail. 

When we took off, we split up again because I had to walk back to where I'd left the trail instead of taking a shortcut. It was cool, though, because right on the trail was a wicker couch. Now, if there is a random seat on the trail, it's only polite to sit in it, otherwise someone went to all that effort for nothing. So I did, and called some people to wish them happy Father's Day. 

Caught up with the ladies and Gear reasonably quickly, though Gear took off ahead again. The trail went through a lot of marsh and swamps, but there was a boardwalk over all of it. One section was over a half mile, I think .8 actually. Super easy walking, and we made it to a store that sold ice cream and produce, so I had a pear and my second milkshake of the day. Turning out to be a pretty good day.  

The ladies were planning on going into Vernon, NJ to stay at a church hostel there. I had intended to push on, but I'd got some prickly heat that morning so figured it would be best to do some laundry. There were too many of us for one car, so Bean Dip became my hitching partner, and we rather quickly caught a ride with a couple we'd met on the trail earlier in the day. 

The hostel was nice. They had a shower and laundry, and there was a Dunkin Donuts nearby. Which Bean Dip, Lady Moose, and myself hit up for breakfast and coffee this morning. Really cool guy there gave us a DD gift card, which was pretty awesome. He plays acoustic music, but I couldn't find his YouTube channel. 

Trail Angel Tom, whom we'd met on the trail yesterday had offered to give us a ride to the trailhead this morning, and it took us a couple of trips. Gear and I took the second, along with Purplepants, a guy we'd just met who was doing long sections, over two years. I'd forgot to read my daily Psalm, so Gear went ahead while I did that. 

It was an interesting hiking day. First I met Bear Rattler, a fascinating woman who has traveled the world and done some incredible things. She told me about "tundra hotels," where you watch polar bears on more or less even footing. Sounded awesome. 

The "hiking" was more like bouldering. Lots of scrambles today. Pretty much the whole way. Really, really draining. But there was a light at the end of this tunnel. Belvale Farms Creamery, that shining beacon. Met the rest there. By the time I got there, I was dragging, but two root beers and a milkshake later I was raring to go. The others left, but I wasn't going anywhere until I'd had my second root beer. 

We pushed on to Fitzgerald Falls, about twenty miles, if I remember right. Nice campsite, but the local high school had just finished today, so all of the graduates came out to the same place. They were far enough away that they didn't really bother us. 

Gear and the ladies

Done with Jersey. A little sad. I liked it. 

Me and the ladies on the boardwalk. 

'Murica

So hot out there!

Fitzgerald Falls

Last few days (June 12-14)

So, left DWG on Thursday. Was going to be a rather early start. Carried my pack out the door at 7am, and ran into Elusive. He was headed to the diner for breakfast and told me he was going to be slowing down for a while and probably wouldn't see me again. So I set my pack down and went to breakfast with him. Glad I did. 

Have I told you about how good a man he is? My first experience with him was the picnic he arranged, and he brought a lot of the food as well as organizing it. Another time I came across a ripped open trash bag (apparently from a bear), and there was trash everywhere. I looked around, decided that I couldn't do anything since I didn't have a trash bag and there weren't any there. So I left. Elusive came by soon after I'd left, went through the trash until he found some Wal-mart bags that were intact, and collected all of the trash in them. There was another example I had in mind, but it dropped from my mind. Huh. Elusive probably picked it up. 

We talked sailing and the trail. He's crossed the Atlantic 4 times, sailing to the Azores. Dinosaur came by and joined us for a while. Breakfast was great. Really enjoyed that town. 

Went back to the hostel to pick up my pack, and was laughed at by everyone because I hadn't left yet and I'd told everyone I was gonna leave early. Geared Up was getting ready to leave also. I told him I wanted to wait for a bit, since it was already so late, and get a mikkshake before we left. He agreed, so a little after ten we left. 

Milkshake place still wasn't open though.  I think ice cream places are missing out on a huge market. A milkshake for breakfast is pretty much the perfect breakfast for an active individual. Protein, calcium, and tons of energy. 

We ended up doing 24 miles. In the rain. Lots of rain and mist and humidity. Not the best introduction to New Jersey. Had to walk a little after dark, but I played Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me podcasts out loud for us to kill the time. Got a little sketchy walking through rocks and cliffs in the obscuring mists. 

Stayed at a shelter with Stumbles and Cool Hand. He doesn't eat hard-boiled eggs, I asked. They are a recently we'd couple, the AT is their honeymoon. Not sure what my wife would do to me if I suggested that. Huh, come to think if it, I don't think we ever really had a honeymoon. I had to go to Afghanistan instead. 

The next day was ridiculously miserable for me. A bad day on the trail. It rained. A lot. It was raining hard when we woke up, and I stared out at the downpour for nearly 3 hours before finally braving a lull. Our clothing and shoes and gear were all still drenched from the previous day. I don't think I even hit twenty miles, despite walking all day and half the night. Well, I took several very long breaks. It was challenging to find the initiative to go back into the rain and wade through the creek that was the AT. I hiked past the shelter where the others were staying and camped in the woods. The legality of doing that in this particular section was murky. As was the view. 

This morning I woke up really early, packed everything up and put on my still soaked shoes. Which now were starting to quickly degrade. I had to use a knife to cut bunches of material that had come loose in the moisture out of the shoe. 

Maybe hiked seven miles into town, and caught the post office before it closed. Which was nice. My shiny new insect repellent Buff was there, plus an almost complete resupply of food. I still had enough food for a few days, so I sent the rest ahead farther. Unionville, NY. 

They claim that this is the smallest village in NY. It's actually smaller than my hometown. 600 people, I was told. I talked with a local environmental lawyer for quite a while, she was very friendly and an excellent repository of information. They have free camping in the center of town in the park, and everything a hiker needs. Plus they're very friendly (except the guy in the bookstore). No showers or laundry facilities for hiker use, though. 

The plan was to grab my mail, pizza and/or milkshake, and move on. But I took a look at my feet, and got worried. They are the worst I've seen them on the trail. Several raw spots and even a couple of very small blisters. My gear was all soaked also. So to heck with the plan, I decided to nero. 

Geared Up came in while I was in the post office, and he stayed with me. We ate a lot today. My shoes and socks are dry, though dirty and stiff. My feet feel better, though they still look rough. My gear, including my tent, has dried out. The lady who will be working at the general store promised she'd make me a shake for breakfast. I think tomorrow will be a good day. 

Elusive, before the diner. 

Sunfish Pond rock cairns. 

Geared Up with tie. Yes, everyday. 

Just admiring the "view."

More rain. Really. 

Finally got some sunshine today. 

This is where we camped at.