Day 60
Start: Partnership Shelter
End: Stealth Site
Miles Hiked: ~15.7
Miles on AT: ~550
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This morning I woke up in time to pack all of my things up (tent included) just before the rain started. A bunch of hikers were already up at 7:30 am, but they were waiting for the 8:45 am bus into Marion. Since I was in no rush and didn’t want to hike in the rain, I waited it out and chatted with the other hikers.
With perfect timing, the rain stopped at around 8:30, just in time for the warm bathrooms at the Pat Jennings Visitor Center to open. When the bus came, I said my goodbyes, checked out the visitor center for a bit, then crossed the road and got back on trail. I also want to commend the visitor center for being so hiker friendly; they provided a phone to call for food delivery, bathrooms, electrical outlets, and a water spigot. They may seem like small things, but they mean a lot to a hiker.
Since my day was going to be a shorter one, I took my time. My Stalin audiobook was a welcome companion. Otherwise, today was pretty much a blur. I spotted a couple of wild turkeys in a stealth site; they flew up into the trees when they heard me coming though. A burn area gave the trail a smoky aroma as I passed through it. The trail was the trail.
I took a lunch break at the top of the day’s climb and a number of people passed me by, including a group of 3 hikers that I had seen during my previous section. While I was sitting on the mountain, two inchworms/caterpillars fell onto my pants. Ewww! Most people find inchworms kinda cute, but I’m starting to dislike them more and more. They either fall on me or I almost run into them as they’re hanging in the air above the trail. I love nature, I just don’t love nature landing on me.
Eventually, I hiked on, crossed underneath I-81, and stopped at one of the gas stations for a pick-me-up: Mentos! I enjoyed the quick access to treats, but I didn’t enjoy being so close to the highway and so many people. I was grateful to be back among the tall grass and trees when I reached the other side.
The sun was high in the sky at this point. My feet were still a little damp from walking through the wet grass in the morning, so I took the opportunity to take my shoes and socks off and let things dry out a bit. My feet didn’t look the greatest when I took my socks off, but after about 10 minutes in fresh air, they looked like new.
Once back on trail, I reached a beautiful open field where I could hear cows mooing in the distance. After I collected water at a small stream (I had to dry camp tonight), I made the final push to my campsite with an extra 6.5 pounds of water on my back. I hate hauling water to camp, but sometimes it’s necessary.
Right as I was going to stop for the evening, something huge and brown caught my eye. Another owl! I watched it and it watched me, turning its head in all directions. I stood transfixed for a bit. Who knew when I would see another one? Might as well soak up the moment and watch until it flew away. And that’s just what I did.
After another 5 minutes of walking, I found a perfect stealth site, completed my camp chores and went to sleep.
And that’s day 60.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.