Last night I made my first Raman bomb. Ever. Yeah, probably should have practiced that once or twice at home first. It didn’t get fully rehydrated which meant some of the potatoes and some of the noodles were still crunchy. But honestly it was delicious. I’m sure my technique will improve over time.
Today was a moderately hard but extremely good day. I had my biggest mile day yet with the make up of the 3 miles I didn’t do yesterday. Right over 15 miles. I can definitely feel my trail legs starting to develop. I did a 2.5 mile climb without stopping (albeit it was a pretty gradual slope).
The morning started really foggy. I was up a little before 7 and figured it was going to stay pretty socked in so I changed out of my sleep clothes, donned my headlamp and got to work striking camp. The rain had started yesterday before I could get more water so I headed out on just a bar and a little water.
After little climb ( that was slower than it should have been since my left calf/achilles was a little tight) and about 3 miles, I got to some water and a shelter. Some folks I had seen earlier on the trail had pushed through and stayed there the previous night. I made my breakfast coffee (Trader Joes instant packets are the bomb!), a shake and had another bar. I’ve generally gone to eating bars and snacks for both breakfast and lunch and then eating a hot and larger dinner. Sometimes the food is good and sometimes I eat it because I need the energy.
I stayed at the shelter a little too long, but helped a couple other THs who had lost half their bear line with some extra tent line I had and set off from there about 10:30
A couple hours later I descended into deep gap and was greeted by some trail magic. I had a Dr Pepper and then a Gatorade. The combo is probably what fueled my 2.5 mile nonstop climb up Standing Indian. The last couple hundred feet up the mountain lead me into the clouds. The top of the mountain was enveloped with fog and it made it otherworldly.
From the peak of Standing Indian to camp was a little over six miles. My trail legs came into play here too. I just walked without feeling like I was really expending a lot of energy. The last few miles went by slow, not because I was tired but just because I wanted to get to camp.
Tonight is the first time I’m actually staying at a shelter. I’d been avoiding them for about the first hundred miles to reduce chances of picking up norovirus (there’s an outbreak on the AT in Georgia). Im still sleeping in my hammock, but the other facilities at a shelter site do make things a little easier. I think I might be the only TH here tonight, but there are about 20 other hikers and campers.
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