Category: Long Distance Trails

Start: Kent, Connecticut (AT mi 1470.2). Stop: Caesar Brook Campsite (AT mi 1483.8). Today’s miles: 13.6 miles. Total AT mileage: 459.1 miles

I was proud of me today. I actually got up a little after 7, packed and ate my left over pad Thai, chatting with Cholula a bit before heading out. I was out of town and on the trail by 8:30, but before I actually started hiking, I had to sit down and change my insoles back to the ones that came with the shoes. Just that little road walk to the trail from town left me with numb toes. Yikes.

There was a trail angel and his wife there, offering breakfast stuff, but I declined. He said he’d be up trail this afternoon doing trail magic lunch.. so I told him I’d hope to see him then. My morning started off by hiking with BakedPotato, a NOBO thru hiker that was at the trail magic. We maybe hiked and talked for a few miles before I needed to stop again because of my shoes. He carried on, I sat down and I realized the heel of my new shoe rubbed a hole into my sock and was attempting to rub a nasty blister on my heel! I taped up my foot, put my ripped sock back on, stretched and carried on.

It was a pretty day, sunny and low 60s mostly. The trail was beautiful, but the same old ups and downs with trees and creeks. Sometimes describing it feels monotonous, because while it changes dramatically, it also feels the exact same, too. I did walk a long stretch right beside a big river though, the Housatonic River. and that was stunning. I also saw 2 garter snakes, one that quickly got away from me after BakedPotato pointed it out (I still got a picture), and then another one sunbathing mid trail, that I had to dance around to pass. He wasn’t going to move and could care less about me. I, of course, still did my yell/jump/full body shutter when I spotted each one, but managed to get pictures of both.

My best friend, Sarah, told me her daughter, Kylie, liked my snake stories. She’s going to have to tell me if it’s because of how scared I am of the snakes, or because she likes them. Ever since Sarah told me that, I’ve been looking for them more. I still see at least one garter a day (for the most part), but I haven’t seen any more black snakes yet, and no rattlesnakes at all. I kinda think the long snake I saw go under a rock the other day may have been a copperhead, but because I only saw the back end of him, I can’t confirm.. and I was DEFINITELY not sticking around to see him come back out! God those little boogers totally freak me out, still! I get the cold chill down my spine every single time I spot anything slithering. So creepy. (Also, hi Kyliebug! I love you!)

I crossed a few roads and never saw the trail angel, so I stopped at the first shelter and ate my lunch. There were caterpillars everywhere. I chatted with some trail maintenance folks, very grateful for their hard work. And then I carried on. I was on an uphill that came to a road crossing when I ran back into BakedPotato and the trail angel! I caught a ride down the hill with the angel to where he and his wife had a little spread set up by the river! It was so perfect! I had a hotdog (I wasn’t actually hungry at all) and a Gatorade, oh and a banana, too. We hung out and chatted with another thru hiker I hadnt met before. The trail angel, PTL (for Praise The Lord), did a flip flop in 2020, and only took 3 zero days the whole time! His wife was his support so he had easy access to a vehicle and whatnot. They were so dang nice. Now they’ve been giving back to the trail community, since he said so many people helped him along his journey.

He drove me back up the hill and I carried on. The miles seemed to be passing slowly. I had told myself however far I got today would be enough, regardless of where everyone else is, because of the whole breaking in new shoes thing. I had options to camp at mile 10, 13.6, and 17.

I only made it to the 13.6 mile campsite and decided that would do. It was already 5:30pm and I was beat. Plus the creek nearby was a nice one. I set up my tent and sleep stuff, filtered water, bathed, and cooked dinner. I cleaned up, put my food bag in the bear box, and chatted a little with the other people staying here tonight. 3 women appear to be doing a section hike (I didn’t ask them, and I shouldn’t assume, but they look so clean!) and then another couple is thruhiking from springer mountain.

My spot was heavenly and far from the others until the couple came. They camped technically in the other campsite area, but I can literally here them talking to each other now, from inside my tent and them in theirs. Thank goodness for earplugs!

Now that I’ve gotten everything semi up to date, I’m going to plan out my day tomorrow and then fall asleep. Either way, I’m getting up early in the morning to try to get in some decent miles. Towely, FarOut and HotSauce all made it to Massachusetts today. Lizard has to zero to get a package (but I can’t remember if that’s today or tomorrow) and I’m not sure where everyone else is. Massachusetts is 40 miles from where I am, too bad I can’t knock that out tomorrow! Hahaha wishful and delusional thinking there! Lol

Goodnight, y’all.

I woke up sometime before 7:30, but didn’t move until the guys got up. They packed what they could and then darted over to the little grocery store to get their food for the next few days. When they came back, Derby told me he saw Cholula and Curmudgeon in town already, getting breakfast, and he shared half of his breakfast sandwich with me. Damn I’m motivated by food! Ha, but I also didn’t want to miss them and I wanted to see how Cholula was doing after her fall yesterday. I got ready and started walking while Derby and Beaver packed their food in their bags, planning to get their day started soon.

I found them at a little restaurant with outdoor seating.. my god her leg was black and blue from her fall. She was planning to take the brunt of the weight of their stuff, let Curmy hike on, and she’d meet him in 2 days in the next town up on trail. She’d zero those two days he’d be hiking light, hopefully she’d be healing up some and getting new shoes. Her plan was to Uber to that other town, Salisbury, today. I quickly talked her into staying with me today in Kent, and heading to Salisbury tomorrow when I got back on the trail. It wasn’t hard to convince her, and I was so glad!

I got my second breakfast to go, and walked with her to the welcome center where Curmy was charging his stuff and they were repacking for him to start hiking and her to hang out with me. Derby and Beaver came by moments later, and the guys planned to meet up on trail and camp together at a shelter close to 17 miles out.
Cholula and I went back to the inn, I figured out what I needed from the grocery store, she gathered their laundry and we set out to run errands. Grocery store, laundromat, post office. I took my new shoes and some snack stuff mom sent me back to the room, and then we went to the little outfitter, shoe store, and back to the inn.

At the outfitter, I got new trekking poles. Yay for being able to secure my tent upright again!
At the shoe store, Cholula shows the man her boots and how they split apart, and he got busy trying to find a new pair of boots for her. Sadly, it was to no avail. None of the boots he had came up high enough to support her ankle. I browsed while there, realizing I needed to try on my shoes when I got back to the room.. because this man had several brands of shoes and insoles, too.

Back at the inn.. my new shoes come no where near fitting. Like I couldn’t even get my left foot inside the shoe. Lord. I quickly make my way back to the shoe store, tell him my predicament, and he sets to work attempting to help me. The only shoes that my toes felt good in, with enough space, was the Altras. The brand of shoes I’ve been wearing. Ugh. He didn’t have an 8.5, but he did have a 9. I tried them on, and while a little big, they seemed to be my only option. We put in some cushier insoles, and walking around the store, my feet felt great! Sold!

I stopped by the wine store when walking back to the room, and then when I got there I showed Cholula my new stuff, and she informed me that she emailed Solomon about her boots splitting apart, and they offered her voucher due to a manufacturer’s defect of the boot because of how they fell apart! Holy crap! Then, she checked the tracking for my cellphone (it was 3pm at this point) and—MY PHONE WAS DELIVERED! I all but ran back to the post office (my new, non fitting shoes in tow)! They handed me my package and I squealed like a kid on Christmas. While the man working was putting in the info for my shoes to get shipped back, I opened my package and then choked up. Sweet Pete had put a card in there with my phone! I forced the post office guy to get excited with me, as I read the card to him. Someone was going to celebrate this very thoughtful moment with me right now, dang it! I am just so blown away by his kindness, even still as I’m writing this. The good you put out into the world always finds its way back to you. I know good things must be coming back tenfold to Pete and his family.

I walked back to the inn taking pictures the whole way. I showed Cholula the card and she found it as kind as I did. The two of us had some wine and snacks to celebrate all the good things that have been happening.. this awesome room, my phone, her voucher and soon to be new boots, my new shoes. I checked in on a few things and sat my phone on the charger, then went to finally take that awesome bath I’ve planning since yesterday. I soaked my sore muscles and updated what I could on the blog.

When I got out, we walked to the Asian restaurant. They aren’t doing indoor seating, so we ordered at the door and ate outside. It was some of the best pad Thai I’ve had in a long time! So stinking good! Back at the room, Cholula took her a hot soaking bath and I continued to write out my blog entries. I don’t know what time I finally fell asleep, but I do know that I really enjoyed everything about this whole day. The people we encountered, spending the day with Cholula talking and doing errands, the rest and relaxation that came with this nice room. I thought I’d be sad about being 1-2 days behind everyone (which, I still sort of am), but I’m thankful I decided to stay in town tonight and not rush out when I got my phone.

Something tells me tomorrow will be tough. Only one way to find out!

Start:Ten Mile River Shelter (AT mi 1461.5). Stop: Kent, Connecticut (AT mi 1470.2). Today’s miles: 8.7 miles. Total AT mileage: 445.5 miles

I woke up suddenly just after midnight for no apparent reason. I saw the fireflies still lighting up over and over again all across the field, so I sat up and just watched for awhile, in total mesmerization. Eventually, my eyelids got tired and I fell back to sleep. The next time I woke, it was to a thunderstorm just after 6am. The sky was dropping buckets, but I had to pee, so I got up and found my umbrella, then made my way to the privy.

When I got back to the shelter, very thankful I stayed in the shelter and didn’t attempt to set up my tent with my broken trekking pole, Lizard was there and Derby was still sleeping. She was trying to keep warm and dry as she packed up her stuff to get started for the day. I briefly thought that this would be the perfect place for me to zero.. since my phone won’t be delivered until tomorrow afternoon. But then I realized I’d be hanging out in the woods alone with no phone and if something went wrong, it could have the potential to go very wrong.. and also the cozy shelter I was currently in would most definitely end up being the refuge for every single hiker coming north through here today. I’d have my dry warm spot taken over by dripping wet-wanting to be dry folks. Understandable, but not fun lol

Everyone pretty much did exactly as Lizard had, ran their dry things over to the shelter when they woke to eat and stay dry themselves before waiting for a momentary break in the rain to pack their wet tents/hammocks. I can’t remember what time Lizard headed out, but I finally got my crap together and left around 9:30am. I wanted to be ahead of the group for as long as I could manage, so if something happened to me, like a slip on wet rocks or whatever, I’d know someone would be coming across me soon enough.

It rained off and on all day. The temperature was cooler than it had been, and honestly it was beautiful. The trail was dark, soft mud and dirt, so dark in comparison to the leaves around that they seemed to glow the brightest shades of green, like chartreuse and lime. It made me think back the family owned fabric store I grew up working in, all through high school and college.. all the different types of upholstery and drapery fabrics we sold, their different textures, the velvets and silks, polyesters and cottons. It’s strange where your mind goes sometimes.

There were several long assents leading to, of course, long descents.. up and over misty mountains with foggy outlooks and white skies. I ate my lunch on one of those rocky overlooks, seeing nothing but low lying clouds and feeling the wind across my wet body, making me shiver. I made it to the shelter right before the descent into Kent, Connecticut. Lizard and Derby were already there, along with a ridge runner and some groups of section hikers and a few thruhikers. Lizard was deciding on waiting for the others to show up, to see who was pressing on and who was staying. I was deep in thought on deciding if I wanted to stay at this shelter, or trek into town to find a motel for the night.

After talking with everyone, including the ridge runner, and figuring out where a motel in town would be (no phone, remember), I told Derby I was going to go to town to get a room because I was cold and wet and wanted a shower. Kent, Connecticut is known to be a pricey town and not always hiker friendly, with expensive prices for rooms and food. But you know what? I didn’t care, I was less than a mile away from a shower and I would have to wait around until the afternoon tomorrow regardless, to get my phone.. so why not wait around in a bed until 11am checkout time?

Derby decided he’d come, too, so the 3 of us set out together, with the intention of Lizard going on to the next shelter when we turned into town. As we were walking out, the rest of our group slowly started to reappear. We told them our plan, with the open invitation for whoever to come if they so chose. Lizard, FarOut, and HotSauce hiked on, Derby and I headed to town. Once we got to the main road, he talked to Beaver, who said he was coming, too. And probably Costa as well. Awesome.

I walked into the restaurant called “Fife ‘n Drum” and reserved a room at their inn next door, after making sure that if more people came, there’d be another room available, too. The one I got slept 3, a king and a twin. So, Derby, Beaver and I split it 3 ways. I walked into the room at the inn in the same parking lot as the restaurant, and saw how nice it was. Beautiful linens, armchairs, and a shower with a soaking tub. I was sold!
I got in the shower so quick and never wanted to get out. I vowed that when the guys left in the morning, I was going to take a long bath and soak in that tub before checking out.

The other 2 showered and we all got ready to go find dinner somewhere. Costa ended up getting his own room, and we ran into Curmudgeon who came into town to get their box from the post office, but was going back up to the last shelter where he left Cholula. The soles of her boots split apart and she took a nasty fall and it sounded like she could hardly walk, and if she could at all, it wasn’t in those boots. Uh oh.

We said our well wishes and went to a pizza place that also sold burgers, which is what we all got. FirstGear and Costa ended up joining us. It was a fantastic meal! We were absolutely beat when we finished eating, but went to the room and collected our dirty clothes anyway. We made it to the laundromat, which was honestly the only negative experience I had in this town. The lady was a bit high strung and rude towards hikers with a long list of rules specifically for hikers alone.. not to mention they didn’t sell detergent and if another hiker hadn’t left a bottle behind for others to use, we wouldn’t have been able to laundry at all, since all the stores had already closed (it was only 8pm).

We waited outside while our clothes washed, and it started to rain. Derby said, “I bet there’s going to be a rainbow somewhere.” Minutes later, a huge rainbow appeared, glowing and beautiful over the mountain behind the post office. Then, he says, “I bet it’ll be a double rainbow soon.” I’ll be damned. A double rainbow appeared. I stared at it forever, soaking in all of its magnificence.

After laundry, we walked back to the room and they were saying how it was going to rain off and on tomorrow. My plan was to hike out after I got my cellphone, sometime probably around 4-5pm. The problem with that is that there’s a steep rocky downhill I’d have to go over with questionable light if it’s cloudy and raining. So, instead of doing that, I walked back into the restaurant and paid for another night in the inn for myself. I’d relax all day tomorrow, get my new shoes and cell phone and rest. Then start again the following morning.

I fell asleep pretty quick and loved every second in that cushy bed. Everything else will just have to wait until the morning.