Start: Wildcat Shelter (AT mi 1376.8). Stop: Fingerboard Shelter (AT mi 1391.3) Today’s miles: 14.5 miles. Total AT mileage: 366.6 miles
I slept ok, I mean-my pad still went flat and I ended up sleeping better on the floor of my tent than on the pad, but it was better sleep than the previous few nights. I’ll take it.
We got up and moving by 8am and when Lizard passed me, I made the comment, “how the hell are we sweating like this and it’s only 8:30 in the morning?” Ugh, looks like it’s going to be another hot day. Less than 15 minutes later, we crossed a waterfall. Normally, 8:45am would make for a very cold swimming experience. Today-today that water was perfection! Derby, HotSauce, Lizard and I all soaked our heads by walking into the little pool of water and putting our heads into the waterfall. Curmudgeon, Cholula, and FarOut all enjoyed the water without getting mostly submerged. Looking back, while it was worth it, I’m pretty sure it didn’t help my heat rash currently growing across my upper legs and butt. Good thing I’m not trying to enter any beauty pageants out here, this body is 100% wrecked.
Anyway, we cooled off and kept hiking. It got so hot so dang fast. I was cooking within 30 minutes.. and I don’t mean food. I really wish I could accurately describe the misery of hiking in such heat. There’s no escaping it! You hike all day, and when you get to where you’re getting to-you’re still hot, you go to sleep hot and sticky and smelling like swamp-ass. Remind me to never complain about the cold again.. ever. Hahaha
We cross a road with a sign posted on a tree that says “Trail Magic in 1.7 miles, today until 5pm” before I let myself get excited, I look at my watch and realize that it’s Monday. That sign was probably from yesterday. I look at my Guthook app and see that water is just past the road crossing this mystery trail magic might be at. So, to level expectations, I told myself to hike to the water. 1.7 miles can’t be that far. Except it can when the road is at the bottom of the other side of a mountain you now have to go up and over, with some of those fantastic rock scrambles thrown in all around. If you think I wasn’t cussing enough to make a sailor blush, you don’t know me well.
On the uphill, I was hot and irritable and thirsty and about 20 literal steps from the peak, I threw all my stuff down and yelled out a good, “are you EFFING KIDDING ME!?!” (I definitely didn’t say eff for the record) when I saw that I wasn’t at the top yet. I sat, chugged all of the water I had and ate a couple sour patch candy pieces. During my meltdown, Numbers passed by and made some comment about how you just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other.. and I had a sudden urge to chuck a piece of candy at him-which then made me laugh, because clearly I’m psychotic.
I got up, got my life together and carried on, and quite literally the summit was a whole 20 steps ahead. Krash was there, so then I laughed again, wondering if he heard my yelling of obscenities. I made my way slowly down the hill, and towards the bottom I caught a strong whiff of meat on a grill. The delight that suddenly consumed me was palpable. I would have skipped down the rest of the mountain if I was capable! As the trees cleared, there it was: TRAIL MAGIC.
Two long tables were set up with an older man at a grill, his wife sitting nearby and another gentleman chatting with all my people! They gave us hamburgers/cheeseburgers, hotdogs, oatmeal cream pies, sodas.. he’d even make you blueberry pancakes if you wanted one! I stayed chatting with everyone for almost an hour (if not more). It was GLORIOUS!
We went up and over another mountain-it also sucked. It started to lightening, thunder and rain as I was making my way downhill. Cool. I can slide to my death now. I’m glad I didn’t, because at the bottom, across another road: TRAIL MAGIC AGAIN! Some sweet man had a cooler of big Gatorade’s!
We walked into Harriman State Park, which was beautiful! The rain was slowing and the thunder and lightening had stopped. There was a lake ahead and we originally were planning on swimming earlier in the day-we also thought SURELY we’d have reached the lake by like, I don’t know, 2pm-and here were are at 4 something with a whole lot farther to go. And then the rain put a damper on things. As Krash and I got to the little dirt road to the lake on our right, I saw 2 packs and Lizard walking down.. HELL YES!! We’re swimming!!
I went down and started dropping my pack and taking off my shoes. FarOut was already in the water swimming out into the deep, squealing with happiness at the coolness of the water on her feet and just how awesome it all felt. The rest of us (HotSauce, Lizard, Krash and I) weren’t far behind her. And damn was she right! That water was everything I needed! The lake was large and the water was warm on top from the sun and ice cold below by our feet. Refreshing doesn’t even begin to explain how good swimming around out there felt. Rejuvenating.
When we left we said we were going to walk the last bit slowly to not break a sweat, since the water made us feel all cool and not sticky. That lasted all of 45 seconds. We went through the Lemon Squeezer, a spot where you have to take your pack off and squeeze through two long narrow rocks. And then there was a rock wall to climb. Umm. I have no upper body strength, and I’m a lot to lift. Ha. HotSauce pulled me up while FarOut pushed my butt, and some how by the grace of God and their muscles, I got over that wall. I’m sure they were sore after that one! Lol
Almost to the shelter, I saw a bear! I heard him splash in some water and stopped to watch him walk. Lizard and Krash came, they saw him, and then so did FarOut and HotSauce. The bear didn’t seem to mind us at all, which is a little unsettling. I didn’t get a picture or anything, as my phone had 40% battery, my battery pack was dead, and I still had another day before I got to town. BUT Lizard got some footage I think 🙂
We made it to the shelter, and I was utterly exhausted. This has been the hardest day for me so far. If we didn’t have the trail magic, and if I didn’t have this tramily, I don’t know that I would have made it as far as I did today. It was miserable, but there’s something about overcoming the misery that makes the challenge that much more incredible. Like it was so difficult, but I made it. I did not, however make dinner. Hahaha I was so pooped, I ate all my sour patch candies and then made a wrap with pepperoni and some chip mix flakes that FarOut shared with me! It was just enough to be satisfying and not need to get out the cookware.
I decided I was too tired to set up my tent, so I slept in the shelter with Derby and Numbers. I didn’t even blow up my pad, I laid it out and slept on my sleeping bag (and FarOut let me sleep on top of hers too).. so I had a pallet on the floor and slept inside my sleeping bag liner.. and was still hot. Oh well.. we’ll see how this works. Sweet dreams, y’all.