Wednesday, June 3 9:11 pm 17.1 mi
AT 411.3 Unnamed Campsite → AT 428.4 Boots Off Hostel
Weather: Warm, humid, sunny
Trail Conditions: Lots of rock hopping and boulder climbing at start of Pond Mountain Wilderness until Laurel Fork Falls. Relatively smooth, switchbacking climb and descent of Pond Mountain
My Condition: Feeling good! Heels did indeed blister up, so after a long shower at the hostel I lanced, drained, and antibiotic/bandaged them
Hikers Met: Turtle
Early start today – woke at 5:30, hit trail by 6:20. The German guy Lift Off did some Wim Hof breathing last night before bed, and we had a nice little discussion about the method. Apparently his two buddies recently gave him a shakedown, which got his 65+ pound load down to a much more manageable 42. Made it to the hostel by 2:45 – early rising makes for easy mileage. Crossed paths with Mountain Sage a few times today, and ultimately passed him before the Pond Mountain climb. Had a beer with him to celebrate his big achievement – 7000 AT miles. He was very complementary of me, which felt great coming from a seasoned hiker. He said I’m one of the more disciplined hikers he’s seen – up early, consistent pace, not guilty of taking overly long breaks. He says I’m kicking butt and have impressed him – high praise coming from a veteran. He’s worked fire rescue, freedive boat maintenance, adaptive ski instructor – quite an interesting story. Despite the Parkinson’s and his tremors, I’m astounded by his pace. He and the Flying Pig are the only two to really have passed me by thus far. He plans to take a zero here tomorrow.
Post Trail Analysis
Boots Off was a really cool environment. In a normal year, I could imagine this place to get quite busy. It has a porched in kitchenette and lounge area, as well as a large porch with a number of picnic tables which they were in the process of constructing a sizable addition to. There were two open air showers, each stalled off and with hand painted murals of towel-wrapped hikers, surrounded by thought bubbles picturing many of the things that hikers dream of – pizza, candy bars, drinks, etc. The shower itself consisted of a large wash basin with holes drilled all over mounted on the ceiling, with a cold and a hot water pipe leading to it so you could control the temperature yourself by cranking the valves to the appropriate positions. There was a sizable collection of different soaps and shampoos from which to choose. I lathered up with Old Spice Swagger, enjoying the warm water and the cool breeze. The bunkhouse was neat, with recessed bunkbeds, each with its own privacy curtain, individual light on the inside, and outlets. I stepped on a scale for the first time, and weighed about 178 pounds. We were driven into town, where we resupplied at the grocery store and grabbed fast food from McDonalds. This was my first experience getting fast food in the age of the pandemic, so it was my first time seeing all the chairs flipped up on to the tables with the dining room closed, dots on the floor marking where you should stand, and sheets of clear plexiglass separating you from the employees. A PBR with Mountain Sage to celebrate, a little bit of time conversing with the small crowd staying, and an early bedtime for me. I got my bag packed up so I’d be ready for an early morning. Being in the superhydrated state that hikers generally are means lots of late night bathroom calls – I always dread it staying in non-private rooms at hostels because I don’t want to wake the other slumbering hikers. This would be the last I’d see of Mountain Sage. Reading back through these entries, I believe today may have been the start of my ankle issues. I was moving pretty fast during some of the Pond Mountain descending and remember taking a pretty good stumble at one point.
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