June 30th
The day started out great. We got to catch up with all dads stories as we peppered him with questions about the AT experience. The first 10 miles of hiking were hot but manageable. Feeling cocky, we decided to push on to the next shelter 5 additional miles away. Ahead on the trailed loomed a steep uphill climb. We started up. I didn’t disgrace myself by outwardly crying but lets just say there was a lot of built in rest time for Nate and dad. The last 5 miles felt like 15. I don’t believe I hike any slower than I did in the Sierras but it was a total role reversal. Dad bouncing ahead up the hill and me trudging up the hill worrying as my respiration rate closed in on 45 breaths/minute. We made it to the shelter but every muscle in my body hurts. Ouch!!
To add insult to injury, when we got to the shelter, there was a group of boy scouts talking with another thru hiker, Sam I Am. They were asking him about hiking and training. The the one boy said “Man I’m tired. It was a rough day! We hiked 15 miles today.” Another scout chided him, “Quit whining!! You sound like a 40 year old woman!!” Ouch!!
After your mention of the book by Bill Bryson, I had to buy it from Amazon.com on my Kindle. I read over half of it yesterday, and he says that PA is the worst part of the whole trail.That should be encouraging!
The first thru-hiker finished the trail a few weeks before your dad was born; that was interesting. I have lots of statistics from it, and my main question is still, “Why?”
Did you get involved in the storm yesterday?
I bet Sunday morning will hit like a ton of bricks, but you’ll get your sea legs quickly and be bouncing along with the best of them. Have you seen anything interesting, or run into bad weather?