Day 39: Ten Mile River Shelter

Start: Telephone Pioneers Shelter (AT mi 1448.7) Stop: Ten Mile River Shelter (AT mi 1461.5). Today’s miles: 12.8 miles. Total AT mileage: 436.8 miles. States Completed: Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York

I had the incredible experience of waking up to what most certainly sounded like mice in a food bag. It wasn’t. It was another hiker. It was also 5:55 am. She was getting food out of her food bag or fiddling with stuff- all of which sounded like 395 billion mice marching through on aluminum foil. I tried to ignore it for what felt like an hour as I drifted in and out of sleep. I saw one of the other guys get up from the shelter and head up the hill to the youth group he was in charge of. I saw Derby sit up and stare a few times.. I know everyone says women have looks that could kill.. he has also perfected that look, for the record.

When I could no longer stand it, and when I thought everyone but Derby and I were “up” (knowing good and well he was just as awake and annoyed as I was), I let all the air out of my new sleeping pad while I was on it.. it just so happened to be pointed at Derby. I got quite the laugh out of it, he-and the other gentleman still in the shelter-didn’t find me nearly as funny as I did LOL-whoops. We’re all definitely up now!

NayNay informed us that the “Sweet Pete” from last night had already packed up and headed out. He had told us last night that if he beat us to the deli in town (roughly 3-4 miles to a road crossing and down 0.7miles), he’d buy Derby and my breakfast or lunch-whenever we happened to get there.. to just tell the lady at the counter our names and our meal would be paid for. That’s some serious kindness.

Derby and I packed up, I ate a Poptart and Beaver let me filter some of the water he got from the stream to fill up my bottle with an instant carnation breakfast drink.. which, thank God and Beaver, because NayNay and the others were all talking a lot and I don’t really care for chatting in the morning. So much so, I beat Derby out of camp!

He quickly caught and passed me. The morning was damp and dank, but I knew I was crossing out of New York today, so I didn’t mind. I always hike a little quicker when it’s chilly and threatening rain. Even still, I was taking pictures and thinking about my Uncle Keith.. I even went to call him a couple times but didn’t have service. Father’s Day is creeping up and I had tried to buy a Fathers Day card before leaving for trail to have written out and ready for him.. but no one was selling any that early. I’ve been doing that.. before trail, I wrote out birthday and anniversary cards for important people to me, addressed them and have them sitting on my kitchen table at home. My mom, being the kind soul she is, mails them out for me a few days before the date I’ve written on the back of the envelope. I know service is sketchy out here-and so is time in general, really-and I didn’t want the ones I care about to think I forgot their special day.

I caught up to Derby, surprisingly. He happened to be coming back from “seeing a man about a mule” so, it was not because I was quick footed. We walked to the road together and started towards the deli. We stuck thumbs out and I laughed, these Tesla’s and BMWs aren’t going to be stopping for the two of us. Less than 5 minutes of walking we see a SUV slowing down that’s driving towards us.. a window rolls down.. “hey, want a ride?” IT WAS PETE!!

We ran across the road and got in his backseat. He drove us the rest of the way to the deli and dropped us off. When we got out, we put our packs at the door and went inside. It was a deli and convenient store, so I got a Gatorade and a hashbrown, egg, and cheese sandwich. Derby did the same and told the lady that Pete said to tell her our names.. she reached back behind the counter and handed Derby $40! Pete left us $40!! Holy Trail Angel, indeed! We refreshed our waters (aka: got a brand new smart water and threw the old one I’ve been refilling since Harper’s Ferry away! Way more exciting than it sounds, I promise), got a couple snacks each (honeybun for me), and Derby left a considerable tip.

When we walked outside, I found us a table to sit and eat at. My sandwich was SO dang good. So good, in fact, that I got back up and walked over to our packs to grab my phone so I could take a picture. Uh oh. My phone wasn’t in the side pocket it stays in. I knew I didn’t take it inside, but I walked in just to check, and it’s not there. I recheck a few other pockets knowing that I won’t find it. It either flew out when I crossed the road, when I got in the backseat, or when I got out. There’s no other options as I knew I had it when we started the road walk, because I took a picture of the train stop for the Appalachian Trail.. yes, a train from NYC (or somewhere close) comes all the way out here to the AT with a designated stop that appears very random when you’re walking out of the woods.

I tell myself not to panic as I check the parking lot where Pete let us out. I go back to the table empty handed, tell Derby my predicament and then finish my food. I decide then that I’m not going to let this mishap throw a wrench in my mostly perfect day so far. I keep my cool while Derby calls my phone with no answer. When we start to walk back, I don’t even attempt to hitch because I’m searching the road where we crossed and where we got in the SUV. It’s either here on the road or in Pete’s car.. both of which could potentially have great outcomes.

We get back to the trail.. I retrace the train tracks area to make sure I didn’t miss it there, and when I come up empty handed I start towards the road again. Derby sees two people in the distant field and thinks it’s folks in our group, so he hikes on rather quickly to catch them to inform them of my phone-less-ness. I hike at my usual pace through fields and downed trees. This last 4 ish miles of NY appears to have been forgotten about by the trail maintenance people. Trees are all over the place, so you’re climbing over when you can, and going to hands and knees to crawl under when you can’t. Then there were those wooden planks to walk across through overgrown fields that had briars and craziness blocking the way-that required your arms to get snagged over and over again by the briar stickers. Cool. I’d show y’all a picture-but I no longer had a phone. Ha.

I made it to the next shelter, only 2 miles from the NY/CT border and 4 from the planned shelter for the night. Beaver was there as was Derby, but the people he saw (and definitely caught up to) weren’t any of our people. The rest of our group decided to do a “10×10 challenge” from the deli.. but because of my lack of phone and our early departure from the deli, Beaver, Derby and I didn’t get to participate. Curmudgeon, HotSauce, and Towely packed out a 6 pack of beer from the deli, and toted it all the way (10 miles) to 10 Mile River Shelter, the one we were sleeping at tonight. I would have definitely attempted that!

We hang out for awhile at the first shelter and then carry on. I passed the Connecticut border, and got a little sad because I couldn’t take a picture. As the day progressed, I started to realized all the things I do with that dang phone. Pay bills, use Venmo to pay for things, take pictures and video, keep in contact with family and trail friends, search the Guthook app to see how far away things are and if I’m on trail or if I got lost.. search the next town to see where/what is available as far as food and motels, and of course.. this blog. Yikes. I had used Derby’s phone to call my mom to tell her the situation. She was calling my phone regularly in hopes that it was in Pete’s car and he’d notice it eventually (he was driving to pick up his girlfriend from her thing and then had to drive a few hours home, so it was probably going to be hiding in his back floorboard for a long time before getting noticed, if it was there at all).

I made it to the shelter, and holy moly it was gorgeous! It was by the Ten Mile River which was stunning. I decided to sleep in the shelter in case of rain (and because one of my trekking poles broke on the bottom and that’s what goes into the grommet to hold up the dang tent). Derby, Curmudgeon and I walked down to the water and rinsed off. I messaged my mom from Derby’s phone asking her to send my phone a message through FB messenger with her phone number, so it would show up on the Home Screen, even with my phone locked (Cholula’s idea, damn that girl thinks quick on her feet!). I handed him his phone back and started to walk away when he asked my moms number.. he answers his phone and it’s my mom calling to say Pete just called her minutes after she sent the message! She gave him Derby’s number, he called immediately and said he’d overnight my phone to me tomorrow morning! OH MY GOD! I couldn’t believe it! In 2 days, I’ll have my phone back!! And Pete was so kind, apologizing to me over MY blunder! I am literally still blown away by the kindness of this man, truly. I am so grateful.

We were at the water and I was still happily squealing over the amazement that I’ll be getting my phone back. Before I knew it, Cholula, Curmudgeon, Derby, Costa (Ben’s trail name now), Towely, and Beaver were there at the river and we were all getting in. Derby and Costa got out in the middle and let the currant take them downstream some! Cholula and I went out and sat on some underwater rocks (to be submerged but not carried away lol), and Towely and Curmy were soaking their feet. Shortly after, Lizard, FarOut, and HotSauce got there! Lizard and I followed Costa down the stream in the currant and then soaked out feet, too, then HotSauce and FarOut got in and played in the water.. the two of them cracking the rest of us up!

It was absolutely perfect. The water was great, the company was so much better. The guys shared their beer from their 10×10 challenge. We were hanging out, shooting the shit, and Lizard happily says, “it’s a party!” And man was it! After some time, Derby headed back to the shelter to start his dinner, while we were all still standing by the water, drip drying. I see a huge bird in the sky overhead. I assume it’s a turkey vulture, because every other time I see a ginormous bird, it’s a turkey vulture. Someone yells, “it’s a bald eagle!” We all stare in awe as the white of its head appears into view.. then, like we’re watching some National Geographic show on tv-it swoops down into the river, misses a fish (we all do a simultaneous “aghhhh!”), and then swoops again and CATCHES A FISH IN FRONT OF US! We all screamed, hooted and hollered! Like-this cannot be real!

Still laughing and reliving the eagle moment, we all walked back to the shelter at dusky dark to make our dinner. Derby heard our yelling and FarOut told him we were joking that the eagle was him swooping in to get his dinner LOL.. he got a kick out of that. We ate in the almost dark, then watched a beautiful firefly show across the field from the shelter. It was seriously the most incredible 4 hours that I can remember in recent history. Like-my fortune cookie from the other day needs to lose the “could be” and “almost” because this was pretty damn perfect. Even with the downed trees and missing phone, I couldn’t be happier! I was thankful I didn’t waste much time stressing the phone, I could have made today horrible for myself. I was surrounded by great people, I have a great mom, helping me deal with a mistake I made, I had another great person taking the time to send my phone back to me, and now I’m going to fall asleep to a phenomenal firefly show.

I’m at a loss for words for how incredibly lucky I feel.