3/29

3/29

 Being crammed into a shelter like sardines is not a bad thing considering I didn't have to set up a tent or get wet. I did however have to fight with my body to make sure I did not toss and turn and disturb my neighbors... I did however get comfortable at which point one of my neighbors would kick me or elbow me.. It did not make for the best sleeping arrangements. The morning started slow with the rain coming down harder than the day before not in thick sheets but shall we say, consistent. Once again I forwent my hot meal in place of a hefty granola bar and using it as a spoon, I ate it with peanut butter and washed it down with a lot of a water. A trend I have noticed about myself, is that I may not drink enough water during the day but I funnel it like game day once I have set up camp. After breakfast was consumed Lee, Rick( who turned up shortly after I the night before) , and I headed into the storm. The rain had managed to saturate the trails to a much further extent than the day before. Each section of trail brought a new challenge of things to slip on. If not for my trek poles I surely would have eaten the ground hard, but in fact I did fall. 40 minutes into the hike I trusted a foothold a little too much and my body went sweeping out from under me. Face first into a mud pit... Worst way I could have started the day.. 

The rest of the hike before lunch was uneventful. Rain fell as consistent as my boots alternated left to right. Just over 7 miles in is lunch at a shelter. Eating with someplace out of the rain is a commodity we never pass up. Lee, Rick, and I all hike at different speeds but I arrive first followed by my 2 soggy comrades. Lee and Rick say they are done for the day but I am not as convinced. Weather tomorrow should be better and a hostel sits 11+ miles away. I dream of having a shower and clean clothes to go with better weather. As I pack up after my quick lunch I say my goodbyes and hustle down the trail.. I know space in the he hostel will be limited and I have a good idea how many people are in front of me. Uphill climbing isn't that difficult in my eyes. Instead of looking up at the daunting amount of space you have yet to cover, just look down. Fixate on making sure each step is just as significant as the last to carry yourself wherever the trail is gonna lead.mi practice this over and over with breathing to match making sure i  waste aster no time. Downhills I allow myself to move quicker letting gravity carry my in a kind of glide as I open my stride to an almost jog at times. I move far too quickly and inless than 2 hours I have covered 6 miles. That sign was exactly what I needed to revamp me for the remainder of the trip. I fly down pathways then focus going up. In the last section of path before I even see the road I hear a car. When I finally saw the road and got to it I received my first bit of trail magic.. Trail magic, for those who don't know is a good deed of sorts that random people will do for thru hikers on the AT. Anything from giving rides, food, leaving sweatshirts at cold shelters are all prime examples of this.. I am walking through the parking lot to the road to try and figure out which way the hostel is(another half mile from my current position) when a woman offers me a Pepsi. I am not one for soda but I assure you I have never been more excited for it. I thanked her, she got in the passenger seat of a silver accord and was gone. For the second bit of magic. I am standing there for no more than 2 minutes trying to decipher from the information signs which way i will need to walk when a gentleman pulls up in a big truck and asks if I am going to the hostel. After I say yes he asks if I want a ride and a Gatorade... Yes and yes.. I have never been so excited for such little things. I will finish this post tomorrow. I started a little late. Part 2 to come in the am.