Date: 2015-06-11
From: Salisbury

To: The Hemlocks Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

The trail today was tougher than it has been for a long while. Despite only hiking 13 miles, I still climbed over 3 mountains. This isn't something I've done since Virginia (at least that's how it feels). The last mountain of the day was particularly rough. The south side was a practically a rock scramble up several hundred feet. The rocks were a usually slippery, with some seeming to have actual springs coming from them. It's very hard to get any grip on a rock that's at like a 70 degree angle and has water pouring down it. Then of course I had to come down the other side. It was a little less steep. It seems like these past few states have mostly forgotten about switch backs and prefer that all climbs be straight up at the most impossible angles. Coming down Bear Mountain, the guidebook had warned me that the trail would be steep and rocky. This was very true. I had to spend time actually searching for the safest way down some sections that seemed impossible. At one point I did slip, but thankfully my roll mat took the brunt of the weight. I can't count how many times my roll mat has literally saved my butt. Although it makes some narrow parts of the trail difficult to traverse, it's made for a good fall breaker.The weather was intensely muggy and humid beneath the trees. In direct sunlight it was just plain burning. My sweat seemed to pour in torrents from my head. I had my bandana but the material is so cheap that it doesn't mop up the sweat very well. The bugs were also extremely annoying. I actually used my head net despite how ridiculous it looks because I was sick of batting bugs away from my ears (they really love my ears) and having them just fly suicidally into my face at full speed. With the bug net on, it was hard to wipe the sweat away from my face. The sweat was also a problem on my arms and legs, as it reduced the effectiveness of my new bug spray. This morning at Maria's House, a section hiker named Mudflap (I think), donated his bug spray and some expensive snacks to me. He's leaving the trail today, so he was happy to send them my way. As a result, I'm back to 98% DEET bug spray. I just keep sweating it off. The smaller bugs were also getting stuck to my skin, seemingly trapped in the sweat, insect spray, and sunscreen combo. Last night I slept very well. The bed was very comfortable and the blankets felt super soft. I actually over slept and didn't end up leaving Maria's until about 9am. When I woke, I made my allocated 3 eggs (fried), English muffin, banana and tea. As I was about to leave, and had just brushed my teeth, Maria came to give me some orange juice. She wanted to make sure I was staying healthy, and so I had to drink a glass of orange juice just moments after brushing my teeth. Still, the house was very nice. The only downside is the lack of wifi and how expensive everything in town was. I would not recommend resupplying in Salisbury, it would be very expensive. I met a few hikers who were slack packing SOBO, including Giuseppe, Trailwalker and Brother Louis. I last met Brother Louis when he was working at Woods Hole. This time, he has spent the past few nights at the Bearded Woods hostel. 10 Speed has also recommended the hostel and says it was really great, one of the best he has stayed in. It's definitely a better option than the ludicrously expensive hotels and inns around this area.Today was also my last day in CT. I am now officially in Massachusetts, which is a word that I can say, but whenever I read it I forget how to say it. The CT part of the trail was quite a nice little section, but it's hard to tell the difference between that and NY and here in MA. One thing is that they all have different ways of sign posting things that adds a personal touch in all of the states that I've passed through. I've done 10 on the trail now, with only 4 to go. I'm planning to stay out of town for the next few days and get into Dalton midday Sunday. For tonight I'm staying actually in a shelter for the first time in 10 days. The bugs are going to eat me alive, but it can't get that much worse than it already is. I'm itchy all the time, particularly on my head. At least when I'm hiking it's not as bad.