Date: 2018-06-13
From: stealth camping

To: Hemlock Springs campsite
Miles today: 17.7

Since i had a nearly 18 mile day planned, i made sure i was on trail by 7:30am. I tried really hard to start off with a better attitude. Yesterday was hot and sunny, but today was a bliss overcast all day. Super nice. Got to see the NYC skyline from several different mountain tops!There's this lady i keep running into occasionally who is also flip-flopping from Harpers Ferry. We haven't exchanged names yet, but we keep leap-frogging each other on the trail. I saw her on top of a mountain this morning and she talked about wanting to stay in town, but all the rooms were pricey so she wished she had someone to split one with, hint hint lol. I told her i avoid that temptation as much as possible and that i've only split one motel room since coming out here. She gave me a confused face and then asked "So where do you stay?". To which i replied "The woods?" lol. I probably sounded insulting, but it seemed like such a weird question. Apparently, she tries to stay in town at least once or twice a week in order to shower, do laundry, and resupply. That just sounds like a lot of money to me. To the woods i go!I've been on like an 80% granola diet since my last resupply. The corner store i had stopped at the other day didn't have any good trail mixes. So instead of buying a mix of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, i just bought a shit ton of granolas and granola bars. Really filling, but after lunch time my energy levels have just been plummeting. My body feels like mashed potatoes and becomes physically worthless. Today's hike was just as hard as yesterday's, but i keep trying to tell myself that if i got through the last 27 days then i can definitely do today. This will be a reoccurring mantra. I had some proud moments today though, like when i hiked this steep incline for like 45 mins and didn't have to stop for a break or water. My gluteus were on fire! lol What really sucks though is climbing to the top of these mountains, feeling like you just conquered the world, and then busting out the map and realizing that your mountain is just a tiny speed bump on the elevation chart. Like a small rock one could possibly trip over. Stupid lol.I made a terrible mistake though... I looked ahead on the elevation charts. lol I skipped ahead to Vermont and New Hampshire and good god i'm screwed. What i consider a mountain now, really will just be a speed bump compared to what lies ahead. My 30 min inclines are gonna turn into 5 hrs. It's terrifying honestly. I can't think about it. The trail went through a park today with a lake. I got so excited when i saw vending machines. I got chips, a popsicle, and a Snapple! After the park, the trail leads you across this big bridge/highway to go over the lake. This was probably just some normal interstate bridge, but to me it was massive. It had all the big cross-wire bars and stuff, like the bridges in the movies! lol. It was around rush hour, so the bridge was pretty backed up. It felt kinda surreal to be walking through it. So civilized. Some people honked and waived. Meanwhile, i just couldn't help but smile and think "All you slums are sitting in rush hour traffic and i'm fucking walking to Maine dude!!"