Thursday, July 23 8:46 pm 15.9 mi
AT 1248.6 Tentsite → AT 1264.5 Tentsite
Weather: Rainy overnight, overcast AM, rain/storms PM
Trail Conditions: Rocky, rattlesnakey, some legit rock climbing in afternoon during some of the day’s heavier raining
My Condition: Tough day, but emotionally feeling good and trying to spread that joy to my trail family. Walked an extra 0.6 mi down to the road which had a water cache, and hiked 0.6 mi back up hauling 4 gallons of water. Little kindnesses like that can really turn your day around!
A couple of slips and one big fall on slippy rocks today – glasses went flying, banged my hand catching myself. Glad none of them were worse! I only saw one rattlesnake today, but Blue saw at least 3 or 4. She told me she actually considered skipping the rest of PA, so I’m glad today’s little act of trail magic with the water jugs worked out. Ended up losing the trail and following rocks up to the peak, only to have to bushwhack down. Found out this morning that Jester fell yesterday and had to get stitches, and is calling her section hike done for the season.
Post Trail Analysis
A big part of the trail is finding your own personal level of comfort. Some people, like myself, don’t feel the need to haul an extra pair of camp shoes. I just slip my bare feet back into my damp shoes once I make it to camp and have changed out of my hiking clothes. Some people like the extra comfort of putting on a dry, comfortable pair of crocs or flip flops for the evening. Soon after seeing a rattlesnake, curled up and on the defensive, I came across the evidence of someone who tried to split the difference. I found what looked like an insole, with a shoestring acting as a strap. It was discarded to the side of the trail, so unfortunately this ultralight solution didn’t seem to be worth its weight to comfort ratio. I talked Philly-Pittsburgh sports rivalry with a day hiker before crossing the bridge and making the tough climb up. Early into the climb, the sky completely opened up and I was left to make my way up the rocky faces, some of which were turning into mini waterfalls. I took my time and safely made it to the top, where I came face to face with thru hikers Shark Boy and Lava Girl, who I would have many wonderful encounters with over the coming miles. One of the biggest challenges of PA is the water situation. Depending upon the weather, hikers may or may not have access to reliable water sources. Thankfully, there’s a trail angel for that. Enter MUN. Mun routinely drives over 300 miles and to refill 250-350 gallon jugs of water. It takes him 12-14 hours a run, which he does on a seemingly weekly basis. He also removes about a full pickup of trash each time he’s out. Hollywood Mama also deserves a shoutout - these two H2O Trail Angels are responsible for countless hikers staying hydrated. I can’t thank them enough for the monumental effort that goes into this labor of love. The only water source near our intended campsite had an emergency use only warning due to testing high for levels of heavy metals. Hummingbird was right on our heels, and I wasn’t sure whether or not she would catch up to us today (just in time for her birthday!), so I grabbed an extra jug of water just in case she joined us. I might be mistaken, but I believe her parents came down from New Hampshire to celebrate with her tonight. My arm muscles, at this point in the trail, had been entirely consumed by my legs. My former upper body strength had atrophied away, and I had to stop and set the jugs down every 20 feet. Had I brought my empty pack, I could have put the four jugs in and walked all day, no problem. Oh well, live and learn! Blue and Puddles seemed quite happy with this unexpected trail magic. We returned all four jugs of water to the water cache early the next morning unharmed, a much easier task when 1. They’re empty, and 2. You’re only hauling one or two.
Comentarios