Day 148 – Oh Oh It’s Magic

I had to get up in the middle of the night. The bunk room I was in was boiling hot and I couldn’t sleep. Oddly enough the rest of the house was cool so I moved to the living room and fell asleep on a recliner instead. The only downside was it’s proximity to the bathroom and the light turning on and off with constant use.

Despite the cooler room, I still did not sleep well. It showed in hiking and energy levels today.  We did however have a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, potatoes, coffee and OJ. After a quick resupply we were driven back to Grafton Notch.

There was trail magic from people named Candice and Kentucky. We got sandwiches, oranges, soda, swiss rolls, and moon pies. We joked about how we almost didn’t need a resupply. That seems to be my M.O. if I get a resupply, trail magic is there when I get back on trail. I got to pet Candice’s Golden Retriever as well. I miss my dogs so much, he reminded me a lot of Butters. Hot Feet and I hung around to chat with them and eventually got on trail around 10AM.

The morning started with a steady climb up to Mt Baldpate. It was misty and socked in by clouds that dissipated rather quickly near the top.

The views were great in all directions so we stopped for a snack to soak it all in. It feels like we’re walking right into fall. The leaves are changing and starting to fall right before our eyes.

We had one more break at a shelter, and the rest of the day was relatively cruise-y. Despite that, fatigue set in after the caffeine wore off and the afternoon did not move as fast as we would have liked.

Near the peak of Wyman Mountain there was what looked to be a great sunset. Sadly it was obscured by the trees. The sun has been dropping quickly lately and by 7:15 it was nearly dark. Hot Feet and I hiked the next 30 minutes with our headlamps on and eventually made it into Hall Mountain “Lean-to” (is apparently what they are calling shelters in Maine).

I ate dinner shortly after arrival (1/2 block of Vermont pepper jack cheese, chia mio, trail mix, beef jerky and peanut butter m&m’s). In the shelter I ran into Zigzag, I met him in Vermont. I brushed and flossed, and climbed into bed before 9:30. Hoping to get better sleep and up earlier with the days getting shorter. A 16 mile day tomorrow looks doable and I’m planning to camp by a river.

Until then, stow away in my pack for day 149 on the Appalachian Trail