We had camp broke down and were heading back to the road around 9:05a. Just five minutes later than we had hoped for. As we passed by the Dollar General, I suddenly remembered that we needed a can opener. The canned chicken that we bought for lunch didn’t have a pull top. It’s something we discovered too late. Usually we try to buy bags of chicken. Warthog can’t do tuna. I can, but prefer not to. When bags aren’t available, we have to use cans. It’s heavier than we’d like. But if it means he’ll eat, it’s worth it.
We had to hike about a half mile to the edge of town with the hopes of catching a ride back to the trail. We sat with our thumbs out for probably forty minutes waiting for someone to stop. There were two people who offered, but both times they were heading in the wrong direction. During that time, Atlas and Lotus arrived. The four of us hoping for a hitch. Finally a guy pulled over and we all climbed in the back of his pickup truck. It was about 10:15a when we got on the trail.
Today was the day of “tiny”. I saw the smallest snail I’ve seen on the AT so far. During one of my breaks, I sat and watched as an itty bitty bird sang its’ heart out. Little pink wild roses decorated the edges of the trail. Their fragrance bringing me back to my own roses at home. Today was a day of “tiny”… except for the mountains. The mountains were big.
Our goal was to hike fifteen miles. The first five or so would be difficult. We have a lot of uphill pushes today. I moved slower than normal. My pack was heavy with our food resupply. Eventually I made it to the top. From there, I could speed things up and increase our miles per hour.
We had lunch at an overlook. The new can opener worked, thank God. I half expected it to break during it’s first use. Fingers crossed it lasts another three cans. Then it can find its’ home in a hiker box. We still had almost eleven miles to hike after lunch. Way more than we’d like. So we pushed hard.
It was 7:40p when we arrived. We are right next to the river, just to the right of the steps to a bridge. It’s not an ideal location. But it was our goal for tonight. I would consider moving on, except we hiked as far as my legs would take me. That means we have to make do with what is available.
We are camped tonight right on the 800 mile mark. I’m a lot more excited about it than I realized that I would be. It means in just another 300 miles and we will hit our halfway point!
It’s 9:15p now. The sun has fully set and night is here. For the first time since we’ve started the trail, we are falling asleep to the sounds of bullfrogs. Usually the frogs we listen to are petite tree frogs. Their chorus reminding me of springtime in Michigan. Instead, these frogs have deep base calls that sound like a didgeridoo. They also remind me of Michigan. I’m just used to hearing them at a lake in the daytime, not while I’m trying to sleep.
Tomorrow we have just a little more uphill than today. My legs are tired from the extra weight. Our plan is to hit the trail by 8:30a, giving us ample time for breaks over those fifteen miles.
-ansel