The morning went fast enough. For while it appeared we would be at a potential campsite by 3:00. However, when we arrived to the spot there was nowhere to camp, so we moved on. The second potential spot was no better. Looking in our guidebooks, there were two stream crossings that I figured might hold a few spaces to camp, but the terrain was too sloped. I soon discovered we wouldn't be making it to camp early.
We stopped by some cascading falls, but were too busy trying to figure out where to camp to enjoy it. There was a place located four miles away, but I wasn't sure I could make it that far. I was in pain. "How far is the next shelter?" Firefly asked. "Six miles," I replied. "I might shoot for that," she said. "You do realize that would make it a 20 mile day," I said, aghast. She nodded grimly.
Once I rewired my brain to accepting the new fate, I set off, painfully. There are those days where you just have to tell your feet to shut up and keep walking. Six miles later I hobbled into camp.
A group of ladies welcomed us and suggested good spots for our shelters. We joined them for dinner. They were section hikers and one was a southbound thruhiker. It was refreshing to see older women on the trail, as the majority of the people are retired men or guys and a few girls my age. I highly enjoyed their company and conversation and hoped I would see them again. Age on the AT is a funny thing. You can be friends and connect with someone almost three times your age and hardly notice it.
I got up early, for it would be a fantastic day. Ten miles away sat a shelter that promised pizza. Firefly and I nearly killed ourselves practically running there and arrived around noon under rain clouds. We dropped our packs at the shelter and walked over to the nearby visitors center to order food. They said it would take 45 minutes to arrive, so I made the best of my time and went to take a shower at the shelter. Now, imagine filling a bucket of water with ice, letting it sit in there for a while, and then dumping it on your head. Then you understand what the shower felt like. I managed to splash water on myself to get clean enough as my legs went numb.
The pizza hadn't arrived yet, so I sat impatiently with the others. It was late! Suddenly we hear a shout that the pizza man was down the driveway, locked out by a gate. How long had he been there? We rushed over to gather our lunch.
Firefly and I ran up to the shelter as the rain started, and dug unto our pizzas. I decided to save two slices for dinner, and proceeded to eat the other six. Then I enjoyed strange deep fried dessert covered in sugar and syrup. Too full to move, we decided to stop for the day and set up our beds in the loft. The ladies we had met the previous night arrived and joined the girl party upstairs. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, reading, even watching a documentary on my phone. What a good life.
It rained all night and into the morning. Though obviously wet, I enjoyed the hike under the rain clouds, which provided a hazy atmosphere and exciting trail.
I almost stepped on him; a little bright orange plastic salamander lay in the trail. Upon closer inspection, I discovered he was indeed not plastic, but alive! I gently moved him to the side so no one would step on him. I noticed his brothers scattered over the next few miles.
"There is trail magic up ahead!" A hiker told me. I have decided to call those who inform me of magic "Gabriel" because they, too, are angels, bringing me the good news of what is to come.
Sure enough, inside an old school house sat boxes and coolers of food. As I started snacking, I imagined what it would be like to attend school there 100 years ago.
I would clearly be getting two lashes for going to school with a dirty face and hands, as the sign noted. How did these kids have any fun? No cards, no swings, no creek? How horrid. Heading out we met two ladies coming down the trail. "Ooh thruhikers!" They squealed. "Go over there and I'll take your picture with them," the lady told her friend. What am I, like a wild animal or something? It makes me laugh at how different other people view us. We learned they were hiking 5 miles in all 14 states to celebrate their 70th birthdays. I thought that was a really neat, as they couldn't do the whole thing, they were still getting out and exploring. We pounded out the remaining miles to a town crossing and popped into a restaurant for a buffet. I was horrified to find we were only allowed three plates. What kind of buffet was that? I'm sure they had learned that lesson from feeding thruhikers. Turns out I only needed three plates, as I piled each one over capacity, I was able to eat until I was full. We resupplied at a gas station and took off into the woods. To my dread, Firefly found a tick on her pack. Thus the tick season begins, along with the constant paranoia that blood sucking arachnids are all over me.
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