Days 146 + 147

Day 146: Mile 1490.8 | Belter’s Campsite

I woke up foggy. My chest was still hurting but my heart beat had slowed considerably (see my last post to read about how I over-trained myself). We started off walking separately to listen to podcasts.

I walked along a river and a logging road for a while on this day. The terrain was flat for a full five miles. It was amazing and so relieving. I saw a few people walking their dogs, they waved with a friendly smile. As I walked I listened to Radiolab and learned all sorts of new things. For some reason, though, I felt lonely. I felt homesick. I had been walking for almost six months now and I had originally planned to only be gone for a maximum of six months. I was no where close to being finished, either.

I was mad at myself. Over and over I felt homesick. I didn't want to quit. But I wanted to go home for a few days. I wanted to rest and recover and have running water that I didn't have to filter. I wanted a real bed that didn't deflate in the night. Regardless, I tried not to dwell on these feelings. I kept walking and tried to focus on my podcasts.

Where the AT turned away from the river I stopped to eat lunch by the only water source listed for the day: a spring! A beautiful piped spring! Clear, cold water. Not yellow and not dried up! I never thought I'd get so excited about some water coming out of the ground. At the spring I met a girl called Echo. We found we followed each other on Instagram already! She is hiking to commemorate her uncle Earl Shaffer (the first thru-hiker ever of the AT). We sat and talked over lunch. I finished my Chinese food from Kent and a chocolate bar.

I left her to head up the hill and catch up with Miles. We met up and decided to walk together to camp. There were some lovely pine shaded campsites after a view and we decided to stop there. Another spring was nearby and we got water from its almost still pool. It was clear and good, but difficult to gather. Looking at the map, Miles and I decided we would stop at a Cafe for breakfast in the morning on our way to Salisbury, CT. It was only a quarter mile off of the AT where it walked through a small village near Canaan, CT.

As the sun started going down a rain storm moved in. In the downpour the air got colder. I still hadn't figured out the issue with my sleeping pad. It deflated a good amount again this night. Nervous, I ordered a foam Therm-A-Rest SOL pad just in case. It was a no fail solution if I needed it. I got it sent to the post office in Great Barrington, MA, our next overnight stop.

Day 147: Mile 1504.1 | Riga Shelter

We got out of camp pretty early. It was still sprinkling and the air had a slight chill to it. We walked the few miles into town and and took a side street to Mountainside Cafe. They were very friendly to us hikers and even offered to fill our water bottles for us. We sat at a table near the back of their dining room and they let us charge our external batteries at an outlet behind our table.

I got a huge breakfast skillet with potatoes and veggies and eggs and cheese. I also got a carrot, orange, and ginger freshly pressed juice and a cup of coffee (which they refilled four times for free!). Breakfast was delicious and rejuvenating. I really needed it. We stayed at the cafe for a couple of hours and used their free wifi to download some new podcasts. I went outside to get my raincoat, because I was cold. When I pulled it out of the bottom of my backpack, where it had been stored for at least a week, I found that the plastic piece at the bottom of the zipper had broken. I could no long

After breakfast we headed out. The rain had stopped and we walked through the humid air. The trail took us on a road walk through Canaan Falls, CT and then through a small nature park. We walked past a power plant on a river with some water falls. We dried out our tents near here as the sun came out and we even got some trail magic right around the corner! They had yogurt, freeze pops, donuts, and spring water!

It was shaping up to be a great day. As we meandered over the hills after the falls we saw a bobcat! Two bobcats! They were beautiful little creatures but they kept their distance.

After that we looked around every corner and hill to see if there were more around. Eventually we came to the 1500 mile marker! Right before Salisbury.

We stopped and had a snack there so that we wouldn't be too hungry at the grocery store. Together, we walked into town and found the market tucked behind some small shops. The overpriced and tiny gourmet market had so many lovely things that I wanted but couldn't afford. It was expensive and they only carried brand name products. I stuck to some hiker basics and treated myself to a gooey loaf of cinnamon Challah bread, which I split with Miles, and a chocolate milk.

We left the market after another snack and we ran into Butter on the way back to the trail. She tried hitching into town. Miles and I continued back to the trail along the road walk portion here. Every house we passed on the road walk was big and beautiful. We kept mentioning how they would each make a perfect hostel. Into the woods we went and the pine trees enveloped us again. I was getting tired but it was still relatively early. We had made good time on the easy terrain this day.

We came to a clearing on a field. It was so beautiful. A row of pines lined the field and a fog sat low near the wet grass. The afternoon light shone perfectly to puncture rays of sun through the fog. I was so awe inspired I didn't even take a photo.

We got to the campsites for the Riga shelter and set up. I ate some more food and went to sleep early. After three days of no caffeine I was exhausted but at least my heart rate had slowed down and I was starting to feel better.