Appalachian Trail Day 44
Day 44 04-12-01
17.6 miles, AT – 525.9 3,150 feet
Trimpi Shelter – Chatfield Shelter
8ish – 6 PM
Day 10 (-) Rain 70-80°
I slept well last night, but I was really hot. A mouse was getting into Smokies graham crackers in the early AM. I packed my headlamp inside my sleeping back and just to be sure I had to unpack my pack to find it. Of course, the sleeping bag is on the very bottom.
We only had to hike 10 miles to the Partnership Shelter where we ordered pizza and soda. A place delivers food to the visitor center which is 200 yards from the shelter. It was great stuff. I make calls and wrote out postcards. I hung out till 3 PM before hiking the last 7 miles.
Tonight it’s Mr. Pat, Agatha and I. The hike was good, but a bit rocky. I hate rocks. You people at home take for granted flat surface. Imagine walking 15-20 miles over sharp rocks averaging from golf ball size to football size rocks. I would die for some shag carpeting.
Another thing I realized is how much we, as a society, take for granted all the little things in life. Like phones, running water, electricity, and the ability to sit at a computer and instantly send someone a message. Out here we can only relay on word of mouth to send a message ahead (thats assuming someone faster than you passes you) and you can leave notes in shelter journals hoping the intended person reads it.
And all we talked about out here is the weather, sore body parts, food and where we plan to sleep. That it! During the day, we think about mileage and those same four things. So if anyone has anything interesting to tell me, send me a note.
Scatman 2011- Two items I forgot to mention I missed and took for granted while hiking were trash cans and chair backs. It was amazing how good I got at leaving town with as little packing as possible to keep the about of trash I had to carry down. If I came to a park or just a random parking lot along the trail and it had a trash can, I was super excited. Who would have thought something as simple as dumping a few ounces of trash would be so gratifying.
As I mentioned chair backs were another thing I sorely missed. At lunch I usually just sat on the ground, a rock or log. No support at all for ones back. Then while in “camp” you had the option of the picnic table, no back there, or you could pick a log, again no back support. Add to that you have to carry a large pack on the same back all day and you dream of a recliner like you would ice cream.
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Scatman
Get out there!
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