Hiked today: 23.0
Hiked total: 561.3
To katahdin: 1617.7
We have officially passed the quarter marker. This morning about an hour and a half into the day we crossed the invisible line. We were happy, but not terribly excited because there is still 75% left. However, the middle states should be quick because the terrain is pretty nice. We are hoping to be out of VA in 20 days or so. We are planning to hit at least 20 miles a day from here until the whites. Weather allowing, we should be able to do it.
We left this morning after a big breakfast and warm goodbyes to a cold wet trail. Since Rambunny and Aqua are hikers, they know how the day goes, so we were on the trail at 8:30 which is easily the earliest we have left a town/hostel. Both Andy and I agree that Happy Hiker Hollow is our favorite hostel - rambunny and aqua were awesome.
So for the first half of the day it poured. I wasn't in a great mood because it was dark and gloomy and we had left a warm happy place. We didn't talk much on the trail today either. We got to the shelter after 14 miles and ate lunch. My poles got a replacement part sent but it was too big. Instead of asking for another part, I rigged it to stay on. Of course with all the rain the handles popped off. At the shelter I duct taped them with two feet of tape each - they aren't going anywhere.
After the shelter we had 9 miles left, and half of it was up hill. About half the trail today wasn't actually a trail, it was a river. Our feet got soaked since we had to walk through literally a foot of rushing water.
After we did a good portion of the up hill we got up to a bald, but it was so foggy we couldn't see anything. Andy actually was in a running mood and sprinted up ahead of me, so I didn't see him for a while. We met up again a little before the shelter and walked here. Its actually a really cool shelter. Its a stone building with a door, so we are protected from the wind completely.
We were sad to leave the hostel, but with our box of oreos and this building, it wasn't a terrible day.
via BB
