I’m not sure if I’m fighting off something, just tired from too many back to back 20+ mile days, or worn out by all the rocks, but my energy was very low in the morning and I moved quite slowly. For the first time in a long time I felt a little sick of hiking. But there was a town near the shelter with an Italian restaurant that had good reviews, so the opportunity for a hot lunch helped motivate me in spite of the mile detour into town. The restaurant was mostly takeout and only had one table for dining in. I had shells stuffed with ricotta and topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella. It was delicious. So was the root beer. Strange how much I enjoy sweet sodas now after disliking them for decades.
The afternoon was slow not because I was tired but because of the terrain. In some cases that involved leaping from one giant rock to another, in others clambering over vast expanses of pumpkin sized rocks, and in others just having to carefully plan where to put each foot.
It started to thunder around 5:30 as I approached a shelter. I made it there before the rain. A group of five overnight hikers had taken over the shelter. They were doing a short trial run for a one week hike they plan to do next year on Isle Royale in Lake Superior next year. First I put up my tent and threw all my gear inside. Then I cooked dinner in the shelter and chatted with them. They met through running. They all train for marathons. I mentioned that I was low on water and stove fuel and they kindly offered me both. But as it turned out I had exactly the right amount of each to make dinner.
I had to refill my water in the rain, and get everything into the tent in the rain, but now at 7:50 pm the rain has completely stopped. It feels like it hasn’t rained in over a week so I can scarcely complain. Luckily the rain has cooled the air so I won’t overheat tonight.
Tomorrow I leave Pennsylvania for New Jersey but apparently there’s still a fair number of miles of annoyingly rocky trail in New Jersey. Dang!
Only one photo today. I guess I was too tired to think of photographing much.
Mile 1274.5 to mile 1291.5 = 17 miles
