Start: Thompson Brook (AT mi 2087.9). Stop: Stealth Site (AT mi 2100.4). Today’s miles: 12.5 miles. Total AT mileage: 1075.4 miles.
I can honestly say today did not go as planned. I knew it would be one of my most challenging days in the wilderness, I just didn’t expect it to be one of my most challenging days on trail. And honestly, I’m still a little confused as to why it was.
I slept so good that I didn’t get up until 6:35. I packed up and ate breakfast, putting me on trail just before 7:30. Within half a mile of camp, I knew there was a water crossing that would require getting my feet wet (it’s actually the same river I slept next to, the trail just goes beside it for half a mile before crossing to the other side).. so I stayed in my camp shoes until after the crossing. In Bar Harbor I had to trash my sandals and get a pair of knock off Crocs from Walmart. My sandals bit the dust.. the soles were smooth and the insides were falling apart.
I crossed with no issues. The highest the water got was to my knees, and I was grateful to still be dry. However, that didn’t last very long. The trail wound its way up and around and through the trees, relatively mild terrain. By 9 I was slap drenched through thanks to the humidity. But at least it wasn’t raining! Not that could tell by the way I looked! Lol
Just after 10am, I ran into TieDye! He was hiking SOBO and for a minute he had me believing he accidentally turned the wrong direction and knowing he was days ahead of me-I was worried! But then after a chuckle, he told me he had been slack packing with some other people because of the bad weather over the weekend. I wish I had done that. After catching up for a few minutes, and me thinking I’d be able to catch him tomorrow, we went our separate ways. It was only a few hours later when I realized he’d be getting started tomorrow where I’m supposed to be ending.. lol.. no way in the world I’d be catching him tomorrow!
I ate my lunch early, just after 11am at Long Pond Lean-To. I was annoyed that the heat and mugginess felt like it was suffocating me (in my own sweat at that), and I had only made it this far in the day. But, I was hungry and wanted to lay out my tent and my current clothes to dry. The tent dried within 15 minutes of being strung between 2 trees like a hammock.. my shirt and shorts on the other hand-were just as wet as they were when I took them off. Lovely.
I hung out until 12, hoping for some drying success and finally giving in. My legs were starting to get the heat rash bumps, so from then on, I hiked in my undies. My shirt is long, but really-I don’t care about modesty anymore.. if something makes me uncomfortable while hiking, I remove said thing. Period. Naturally, 10 minutes back on trail and heading up Barren Mountain- I run into 3 SOBO guys that all look to be in their early 20s. Awesome. Good thing I don’t care, am I right? Hahaha
I got to the Barren Ledges, a good 2 miles from the summit, and saw the sunny, rocky overlook and hightailed it over there. There were 3 older gentlemen there, too, all doing a section hike. I introduced myself, and as we were chatting, I took my shirt off, laid it out to dry, fished out my shorts from my pack, laid them out to dry, then plopped myself down next to my laundry and laid me out to dry. They said they had been up there doing the same thing-drying out, they just happened to leave their clothes on while doing it. I was pretending I was in a bikini on St. Lucia sipping a mai tai. Which, I think that’s where I’d like to spend my birthday this year-FYI. Lol
I was laying up there for awhile and watching these falcons fly back and forth.. I wouldn’t have known they were falcons if there wasn’t a sign a little ways back saying they were nesting. I counted 6 of them, and when one kept eyeing me, I decided to get up and get moving before they realized I was probably a very easy target! Haha
It was well after 1pm when I got moving again. And I still had 7.6 miles to go to meet my “bare minimum” goal. It would have me at 15 miles today and I’d be camping by a pond and get to wash off in the water. At this rate, I knew I wouldn’t be making it there much before 6pm but what else is there to do but keep walking, anyway? I was moving slow but felt strong and capable and I was in a good mood still.
Once I got to the top of Barren Mountain, that changed for me. The downhill was getting a little technical and was staying very slippery. I fell twice but hurt nothing but my pride. I was moving at a snails pace. This terrain was reminding me of the Whites, and I was not liking it at all. There was a boggy area attempting to soak my day and half new shoes. I started getting irritable. Then it was up Fourth Chairback Mountain. It was treacherous at times but manageable. I thought the summit would never appear..
When I looked at my phone at 5pm, I was just making it to the top of this mountain. I STILL had 2.8 miles to go to get to my bare minimum goal, which included going up and over Third Chairback Mountain! Sheesh! I knew I’d be getting to camp well after 6:30, probably closer to 7 if the terrain going down was anything like the previous mountain. And guess what? It was worse. Holy hell was it worse.
I was hardly getting anywhere when I slipped and busted my right knee. I’m not even sure how it happened, but I ended with my right leg tucked up under me, my body weight on the knee, my left leg out straight and still sliding, and both arms with trekking poles still in the ground stuck back behind me. And there was a rock drop off in front of me. I had to let go of the poles and get my arms back in front of me, one at a time.. awkward. Then get the pressure off my knee, which is now bleeding, while not letting my left leg/foot slide anymore. It was scary and very painful. When I finally was able to stand, I threw up. Just like that. Stand, tunnel vision, barf. Not how I saw this day going.
There was nothing I could do except try to keep moving. Tears in my eyes with each limpy step, I trudged forward on that awful descent. All of this took place within less than a quarter a mile from the summit! When I made it to the brief part of actual trail, I looked around and found a semi decent place to set my tent up. It’s basically all squishy moss and barren trees, and the ground is so soft it hardly holds my stakes in place-but ya know what? I was done. I wasn’t making it another 2.4 miles hurting like this with the sun going down. I only have half a liter of water, so I ate a pb&j for dinner with some chips (my normal lunch) and I’m happy that my stomach isn’t still upset. That barfy business had to have been the pain from putting pressure on that knee, because I feel fine now in that regard.
So. Dinner is done, camp is set up, and all that’s left to do is clean up my knee and find something to cover it (so the blood doesn’t stick to my leggings or my sleep stuff), and stress a little about tomorrow. Tomorrow was going to already be another tough day, and now it’ll be even more so with an extra mountain to go up and over since I didn’t get it done today. Greeaaaaat.
My food drop is coming the following morning, so I have to make it tomorrow to my planned place or I won’t have time to get to the food drop. If I’m not there, my food goes back with them. I think I’ll try to get up super early, so that way if my knee is giving me trouble I have more time to get to my destination.
Here’s to sleeping well and surviving tomorrow! It should be much easier terrain once I get through tomorrow.. maybe that, and food, will motivate me to push through! Sweet dreams, y’all.