March 20, 2020 6:28 pm 16.6 mi
AT 33.5 Swaim Gap → AT 50.1 Blue Mtn Shelter
Weather: Called for rain and thunderstorms, got nothing but sun! First sunburn of the trail
Trail Conditions: Dirt! Regular old dirt. And rocks last 2 miles
My Condition: Sore knees, blistered hands, feet feel good!
First longish distance day of the trail – 16.6 miles. The weather called for rain and t-storms all day, but those might be happening tonight instead. With any luck, the tent will be the only wet thing I put away tomorrow morning. Tent was bone dry this morning – not a lick of condensation. Which Way, a lady from Maine, passed me this morning as I was tearing down camp. Was on the trail at 8:18 am today. Caught up to her at stream mi 43.1. She had a pretty incredible pace! Questionable water sources all turned out to be dry until right before road crossing. Ate a block of swiss cheese to celebrate the end of thirst. The water source where I saw Which Way was incredible. That stretch of trail was soft, perfectly smooth, well graded, and was a dream to walk on, hence the big mile day. The last 2 miles of the day had me cursing that decision – rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Saw Brent (also from Maine) again at the shelter tonight. With the long miles, we’ll see how I’m feeling in the morning.
Post Trail Analysis
Really nice solitary evening on the saddle. Had the tent oriented perfectly with the wind, and was able to hang and dry my wet clothes before bed. Pretty sunrise too! Everyone talks about the Pennsylvania rocks, but I’m sure if I went back and did this section now that the rockiness would be about equal in the day’s final section. This was the first of many, many blocks of cheese to be consumed during this journey.
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