Day 37: 12.6 AT miles
After weathering a thunderstorm the previous night, I woke up feeling very unrested and on the verge of getting sick. While I’d originally planned a 20-mile day, I knew there would be no way I’d make it that far. I’d been struggling to eat in the heat and figured that going into town would be good for me.
I left camp and had a brief climb up to a ridge where I had good service. I called a motel in the next town and had a very strange phone experience. When I was booking the room and gave my name, the receptionist repeated back my late father’s name, which sounds nothing like mine and is very uncommon.
A little thrown, but happy I would be sleeping in a bed that night, I continued on. The going was slow, much of the day steep ascents and descents that were almost more climbing than walking. There were wooden steps nailed into the rocks at some points and every step had to be taken carefully.
When I got down from the thick of the verticality, I found myself in a parking lot with a picnic table. I sat down and had a snack and felt utterly exhausted. I had to will myself to get up and finishing the remaining miles of the day.
The second half was relatively flat, but it was still quite a struggle. A couple of miles before I reached the road at which I would hitch into town, I realized I’d lost my umbrella at some point that day, the last time I knew for sure I had it being that morning. When using it the day before, I didn’t resecure it completely, shoving it in the side pocket without using the straps to keep it in place. I thought I’d probably lost it on one of the peaks of the day and didn’t have the energy to go back possibly nine miles—twice again—to find it. I guess someone will get a free ultralight umbrella somewhere in Massachusetts.
I was more excited than annoyed, though, as I was about to reach the 500 mile mark. I kept checking FarOut for when I would get to mile 1,626. It was at some random muddy, buggy turn, but I was happy nonetheless. Before this, the milestones felt nominal, but there’s something substantial about 500. It makes me feel like a legit thru-hiker.
As I approached the road through some fields, the sky darkened. As I stuck my thumb out, it started drizzling. Thankfully, someone picked me up before the rain came in earnest.
After showering and laying out my wet stuff to dry, I got some Thai food. It made me think of how differently I ate last summer. The company at which I was interning had a service where you picked a lunch from a few restaurant options each day and they’d deliver it to the cafe for you around noon. It was where I was first introduced to pad see ew, which is now what I always order at Thai restaurants. If only the mythical drone food delivery service for the AT would come to fruition!
Day 38: 14.2 AT miles
At breakfast, I met several other thru-hikers who’d stayed at the motel as well. I tried to eat as much as I could before packing up and hitching back to trail.
The day started off alright, I hiked with a British guy who’d done the PCT and was here for a section hike. I’d studied abroad at his college, so we chatted about that. After a couple miles, we happened upon some trail magic drinks in a cooler and stopped for a break.
I continued on, planning for a campsite that would make a 17-mile day. It seemed reasonable enough then.
As I hiked on, I felt very weak. I stopped for several long breaks and tried to eat. It started raining. I finally got to a shelter about 12 miles in and used the privy and ate dinner. I packed up and decided to hike on.
As I got a little past the shelter I started to feel worse. The rain also picked up. I thought I might have a UTI and was peeing about every third of a mile. Conveniently, I suppose, this was the week my mom and brother were visiting me. Originally, we had planned for them to meet me the next morning, as they had a long drive into Massachussets this day. However, I was feeling bad enough that I asked them to come pick me up that night instead.
We planned for a road crossing to meet at and I forged on slowly, stopping many times to relive myself. Eventually, we rendezvoused and I changed into dry clothes. We headed back to the Airbnb and got some dinner on the way.
Day 39: 14.9 AT miles
Upon determining that I probably did not have an infection—since my temperature was normal—but was feeling the effects of dehydration or some other heat-based affliction, I focused on rehydrating and decided to do a lighter, slackpacked day.
After getting a somewhat later start on the trail, I had some nice views early on. The weather was sunny and not too hot.
The miles went fast but not as fast as I thought without a pack. I thought about how much a thru hiker’s identity is tied to their pack. Though I only saw about one other person this day, they would have no way of knowing I walked hundreds of miles to get here.
When I knew my family was coming to visit me, I had grand ambitions of pulling out back to back twenty plus mile days. I failed to think about how my ability to do bigger days doesn’t hinge on speed as much as endurance. I really have to be out there all day to get in the neighborhood of twenty miles. That’s most feasible when I go to bed and wake up right off of the trail.
Regardless, it was quite nice to know that I’d have a shower and a bed at the end of the day and get to eat real food.
Day 40: 16.4 AT miles
The day was rather viewless, though I did see Boomer and Quirk headed sobo in the morning. It’s always nice to have brief interactions with other hikers. I haven’t gone a whole day yet without seeing another person, but some days it’s been close.
The highlight of the day was stopping at the Cookie Lady’s house. There were several other thru-hikers there, some I’d me recently, one I’d met back in Pennsylvania, and a couple new faces. I enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies, hibiscus tea, and conversation before heading off for my remaining miles of the day.
Day 41: 12.7 AT miles
I decided to cut my final slackpacking day a little shorter, as there were a couple of things I wanted to take care of before my family left. I had a relatively uneventful day, coming upon a surprise ice cream shop toward the end of my section and enjoying a cone.
Back at the Airbnb, I did some final laundry and treated my clothes and tent with permethrin. Since I’ve found a couple of ticks attached while on this hike, I figured it was better late than never to do this.
I did some writing and marveled at the joy of again being reunited with my computer. While I do have my phone on me, being in the woods for so long rekindled the magic that is a laptop. I love being outside, but man do I also love technology.
Day 42: 18.1 AT miles
After packing up the Airbnb and trying to finish the bits and bobs of remaining food, we headed off back to the trail and said goodbye. I wanted to play the day by ear since I was still feeling somewhat weak from the residual effects of the heat and dehydration.
On the docket for the day was climbing Mount Greylock. Thankfully, I was fueled by some leftover pizza. I’m really trying to eat more salty carbs, along with fats and protein, because I notice that eating more than a little sugar makes me feel like shit.
Nearing the top, I passed a couple of day hikers that were bitching and moaning that the peak was still 0.4 miles away. It really rubbed me the wrong way. Y’all know you can just drive to the top of the mountain if you want, right?
At the summit there were, blessedly, indoor bathrooms and I enjoyed a lunch break with a view.
As I headed down the mountain, I started seeing more backpackers. I think this is the case heading into Vermont because of the popularity of the Long Trail.
I slipped and gave myself a scratch on the leg. I wouldn’t consider myself a particularly clumsy person, but the AT has had me fighting for my balance with all these rocks.
I continued my descent, finishing the last miles of Massachusetts. I went into North Adams and happened upon some coolers outside of a school that contained some trail magic. I helped myself to a couple of donuts, but appreciated the thought they put into the various snack, drinks, and first aid/gear fixing supplies the local church provided for hikers.
I moved on and didn’t even walk another mile before encountering more trail magic. I walked up to the porch of a house near the trail and, as ai was pulling off my pack, a man came out. We had a moment where we realized we had met each other. He had been section hiking in the northeast and we had camped at the same shelter in early Connecticut. It was fun to chat and hear about his section hiking of the AT and hear about what is to come on the trail. Eventually, I knew I had to move on to get to camp.
I had to do a tiny bit of hiking in the dark, but it allowed me to hike about the distance I had wanted for the day. I need to be averaging somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 mile days at this point if I want to finish on time. Yes, I now realize the cons of doing a thru-hike on a timeline, but I am committed to this adventure, even if it means I am hiking 12 hours most days. Ramping up the mileage is physically challenging, but it is enjoyable to see how much my body can do.
I set up my tent in the first spot I saw. Someone had taken the spot just over the border—the bastard!—so I had to walk about half a mile more since I didn’t want to establish a true stealth site in the dark. It was a peaceful spot by a stream, but the mice were very active, making it hard to sleep. Thankfully, they did not eat any of my stuff—this time.
