My Trails

7/26/12 – 1423 miles
I awoke very early and decided to pack my tent before the rain came. It was a good decision. Just as I swung my pack to my shoulders, it started to rain, creating a mess for all the late sleepers.

The terrain today was easy. Except for a rainy, slippery start, most of the trail treated us with kindness. It’s about time NY gave us a break and let us walk on the level for a change. We had plans for a twenty mile day, putting us into RPH Shelter for the night. There seems to be thunderstorms coming through every evening for the next few days and the safety and comfort of a shelter is important in our plans.

My foot was a little sore for the first few miles and several hikers, including Kleenex, passed me by. I figured it was time to take a mega-dose of Vitamin I, not only to kill some pain but reduce swelling. Ibuprofen is awesome. I hiked the rest of the day with very little discomfort. Kleenex says I should take a day off to rest but I think I can keep going.

Shortly after reaching the shelter and fixing dinner, the storm moved in. The lightning was vicious and the rain fell in buckets, making us glad we weren’t still on the trail. A couple of young guys came in out of the storm and told of a harrowing dash across an exposed ridgeline.

Tomorrow we plan on making a stop either at Telephone Pioneers Shelter or the AT Railroad Station. There is a landscape center at the RR Station that lets you camp. It would be fun to take the train into NYC from there.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2012 at 6:29 am and is filed under Appalachian Trail, The Great Outdoors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.