It would appear that I’ve been adopted into a new trail family.  The last three days have been the most fun I’ve had on trail since a few days into Pennsylvania.

I posted the video I took in Maryland partly to remind myself of how happy I was before PA.

I’m currently in New York, under thirty miles from the Connecticut state line.  The heat has been absolutely horrendous, with an index of 106 yesterday.  Some fifteen or more hikers (Nobo and Sobo) converged on the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center yesterday.  The free cold showers drew us in like moths to a flame.  Or rather, the inverse of that?

Run by Fanciscan monks, this facility has been caring for hikers since the 70’s.  While I didn’t meet any of them (they were smart enough to put the noisy hikers very, very far from their monastery) I am thankful for their hospitality.

The heat brought all hiking progress to a grinding hault at only five miles, but with my laundry hand-washed I felt productive regardless.  I managed to get everything mostly dry before weather hit that evening.

We pulled just shy of twenty miles today, and I’m once again camped in a field.  The massive lightning storm last night, coupled with the following humidity today, has my single-wall tent pretty damp for tonight.

I’m lying on my beloved NeoAir Xlite, which is the only barrier between my dry sleeping bag and the wet tent floor.  I hate pitching on grass, because the condensation is unavoidable.  Even the best tents seem to sweat in these conditions.

Honestly, being on the AT this long has made me hate grass and lawns more than I did at the start.  Out here, grass is synonymous with ticks.  In the morning it means wet socks, a wet tent, etc.  My general hatred for lawns, and my bewilderment at the time and money people spend to maintain them started while mowing them as a teenager.  It was largely reinforced later in life by this wonderful article:  http://www.eattheweeds.com/the-grass-and-tree-war/

Check out more of Dean’s work here:  https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL58E60DB5D9A7A012

 

Tangent aside, New York has been a tough, but beautiful state.  Water has been scarce, but trail angels have been dropping gallon jugs at nearly every road crossing.

Crossing the Hudson on the Bear Mountain Bridge was incredible.  We crossed just after sundown, with the final streaks of sunlight still in the distance.

I haven’t taken many pictures lately, because I’ve been too sweaty to operate my phone’s touch screen.  Think about that for a second.  I have one microfiber cloth buried deep in my backpack for the single purpose of making my phone usable during an emergency.

My pack, body, clothes, shoes, gaitors, and everything else not in dry bags is perpetually wet with perspiration 24/7.  It’s becoming plainly obvious why the outdoor club back home does not do summer backpacking trips.  Normal (sane) people don’t do this in this heat.

Thankfully, I’m not exactly normal, and my sanity has long been in question.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6riVPupMOQ

Sorry for the lack of updates.  To be honest the latter half of PA almost sent me packing (twice).  I lost my drive for a little while there.

I’m currently hanging out with some extended family in New York.  I’ve eaten a crazy amount of food and will be leaving Greenwood Lake tomorrow.  It’s a very fortunate thing to have family in a trail town!

Many things have happened and I’m trying to get into the right mood to write about them.  For now I have pictures:

I’m writing from the library in Palmerton, PA.  I haven’t done very many miles in the past few days.  This is partly due to terrain, weather, and lack of energy.  On the evening of the 31st I reached an old, but functional AT shelter (will update with the name later) around 8pm.

About two miles before the shelter, there was a break in the dense foliage where powerlines crossed, and gave me a pretty expansive view of my surroundings.  I saw clouds and rain rolling in fast, and crossed the opening quickly.  Soon I was ridge running, though under treeline, and the first booms of thunder echoed across the mountains.  As I descended from the ridge towards town, the rain caught me.

The shelter was worn, but the steel roof appeared to be brand new.  I had already eaten dinner, and was asleep by 9pm.  I woke at 10:30am the next day, making this the latest morning I’ve ever had on the AT.  Sleepily, I packed my gear and headed the rest of the way down the mountain.

I’ve quite literally been dreaming of Italian food for the past few days, and decided to hit Palmerton, which has two pizzerias.  I got to the roadway easily enough, but noticed there was no shoulder to walk on, and that I had missed the side trail into town.  Five minutes with my thumb out got me an easy ride into town.

The next thing I knew, I had devoured four slices of quality pepperoni pizza.  I sat back in the booth, partially dazed by the massive carb intake.  I listened to the Italians behind the counter bantering and yelling at each other as more orders came in, the lunch rush in full swing now.  I staggered out and made it to the town square, where I tried to get my bearings.  The hitch into town was easy enough, but getting back to the trail was going to be a challenge.

“Dirty Girl?!”  It was Casey Jones.  I’ve tried to write about Casey in the past, but took up five pages before I knew it.  Suffice to say, there is nothing simple or succinct about Casey Jones.  Her and her now boyfriend Rev, were on a mission for donuts, and I decided to join their endeavor.

A few minutes later I had coffee in hand, watching my comrades devour breakfast pastries in a manner that would be cause for an organized intervention, had they not been thru-hikers.  A man walked past and told us the whole area was under a flash flood warning.  As near as we could tell, the trail would be skirting the river for a while, and staying in town seemed like a good idea.

A town local named Mary Beth sat with us, and talked to us for a long while.  She told us seemingly everything there was to know about the history of this small, but charming little town.  One gem of information she had, was a place to stay for the night.  It wasn’t glamorous, but a two-car garage behind a restaurant is pretty luxurious for hiker trash.  We ventured over to Bert’s Restaurant, and spoke with owner, Tracy.

For ten bucks we had a bunk room, and access to a shower, oddly placed within an alleyway.  Let me tell you, the water pressure and heat of that wondrous contraption far made up for its strange location!

I spent the night hanging out and playing pool with Rev and Casey, finally turning in around midnight.  Here are a few pictures:

 

It was nice to get away from the bugs and dry our gear for a night!

We’re aiming for a shelter about fifteen miles out of town, and should reach the Delaware Water Gap tomorrow or the next morning.  We’re all ready for New Jersey.

I got to drive that Land Rover into town for barbecue.  All of the hikers at the hostel decided to have a pajama party at the restaurant, while our clothes were in the laundry.

I survived the crazy rain/flooding in Virginia.  Haven’t made the 800 mark yet, but I will tomorrow.

Here is a drawing Firebird did. We were stuck in a shelter one morning and she asked what she should draw to pass the time.  I shouted “Wombat!”  We had our pots and cups out on the picnic table to collect rain water.  This is what she came up with.  The wombat is assisting our efforts.

This makes me so happy, I had to share.

Will write when I’m in the mood.  I’m being first-rate hiker trash at the Glasgow town pavillion at the moment.

June 20th Mile 727.5

This was probably my most difficult day on trail so far. Today made for my fourth 20+ mile day in a row. If the hike from the hostel back to trail, and side trails to water are included, this was over a marathon at 26.4 miles. If I had had my pack, I would have stopped much earlier, probably nine miles earlier.

We slack-packed today, hiking a section with only a daypack, our typical packs shuttled safely 25.7 miles ahead of us. Often, hostels will offer to shuttle you north with a loaner daypack, so you can hike a section southbound. They benefit by having you stay another night, and you benefit by still getting miles in, without your heavy home-pack in tow. I use the term “home-pack,” because that’s exactly what it feels like now.

While I enjoyed running the downhills in fast featherweight frolic, there was admittedly some separation anxiety as well. Towards the end of the day, where I typically stop where I please, I had nine more grueling miles to cover instead. No options. Worse, every place with decent food would close by ten. I felt very boxed in, and while some purists frown on slacking, I can tell you that miles are miles. It hurts either way.

Nevertheless, our boots hit Daleville around nine. Firebird was kind enough to wait for me, while the others went ahead to secure lodging.  Turtle Goat, Ladybug, and Firebird are beasts of hikers.  I’m the slowest, and coming to terms with that.  I feel there is balance in it, after all, I saw Dragon’s Tooth bathed in moonlight last night.

As always when rolling into town, food was the objective, and to the food we went. The good barbecue was closed for the night, but thankfully Pizza Hut was still open. We each walked out with a large, and devoured them in the hotel. The cashier was kind enough to supply water cups for each of us, and plates, which were never used. Real thru-hikers eat their pizza from the box, often outside of Walmart or gas stations…

I found my pack safe, pink loofa intact, and thus I took a shower, enjoying the novelty of taking two in one day! I’ve never gotten so filthy during a single day on trail before, and I enjoyed being baptized back into civilization. That is how I think of all my showers now; a rite practiced to make me fit for off trail interaction.

Turtle Goat wanted his own place, and I know that feeling all too well. Firebird, Ladybug, and I are bunked for the night. All of us have errands in town tomorrow, so it should be a short day on trail. My body and feet are wrecked, but I’m glad today was so tough.

I have a bed, food in my stomach, and my home-pack stashed safely nearby. I’m with my friends, and miraculously we made it through without injury. I had some realizations coming down the third mountain today, which may give me a direction after the AT.  Too far away to think about that now.

I have managed to catch up to my friends again. I pulled a 23.7, 21, and 23.6 back to back.  I descended the Dragon’s Tooth at night via headlamp, and arrived at Four Pines hostel around 11pm last night.

I was relieved to find Ladybug, Turtle Goat, and Firebird there.  A hiker named Tracy greeted me with a Stone IPA.

Today we are doing a 25.7 slack pack into Daleville (possibly naked).  The Summer Solstace is “Hike Naked Day” on the AT.  It’s good to be freshly showered, and wonderful to be with my tribe again.

Edit: I was corrected. Tomorrow is hike naked day.