Date: 2015-07-04
From: Stealth camp near Winhall River

To: Bromley Mountain
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: moderate rain

The sky was gray and overcast. We hiked for a few hours, talking sometimes, but mostly remaining silent. It was an uneventful yet agreeable hike. Light rain drizzled and turned into a sustained shower. We arrived at the road leading to Manchester Center. The rain poured as we stood, completly soaked with our thumb sticking out. A truck that was going the opposite direction turned into the trailhead parking lot and offered to pick us up. So nice!We arrived in town and stopped by the outfitter to pick up a few things. The sales clerk let us keep our bags in the doorway, out of the rain, while we bought our groceries, which was very kind. Luckily, everything was open notwithstanding that it was the 4th of July. We ate at Subway and recharged our phones before calling a taxi to shuttle us back to the trailhead. Although the rain had stopped, a thick, humid fog obscured the Trail. We hiked up Bromley Mountain when the cold rain started up again. There is a ski cabin at the summit where hikers are permitted to sleep overnight. We decided to stay there; while there is nothing in here except an old wooden table, it's nice to be in an enclosed space, away from the rain and cold wind.Today marks our 4 month anniversary on the Trail. That's longer than a school semester. Shrugs and I were discussing what we should write about for our 4 month summary. We both agreed that we were suprised that, even after 4 months, we were still adjusting to the Trail: we are varying our pace, still tinkering with our gear, etc. We are still experiencing daily aches and pains - in fact, I think that we are physically deteriorating: my ankle seems set on not healing, my skin rashes are now a permanent feature, my joints are constantly complaining. The hardships and trials of the Trail do not ease away with time. Rather, they accumulate. Every rainstorm, mud puddle, stubbed toe, scratched knee and mosquito bite, they all build up and erode your willpower. This just reinforces the point that a thru-hike is as mentally trying as it is physically. Shrugs and I continually revisit our reasons for being here on the AT; it's an eternal discussion. We both admit that at this point though, what motivates us is that we started the AT so we are going to do our best to finish it. There are some small factors which help spur us on. Finally crossing into Vermont was one of them. Not only does the AT reach high elevations to follow picturesque mountain ranges, but we can now sense our progress: the end is much nearer than before. These small morale boosters definetly help, but as I said, we anwser the question "why are you doing the AT?" with "because we started it".I think that our overall morale has thus far followed a U-shaped function. It started out high up and, after a month or so, slowly started waning. The initial excitement and trepidation slowly evaporated as hiking became less novel. The drastic drop of morale was definitely precipitated by my injury and my morale's slow recovery was due to our forced slower pace and losing all our friends. Even if we hit so many landmarks, it was never enough to definitely pull us out of our slum. The 1000 mile marker? We weren't even out of VA yet! Harpers Ferry? It's only the psychological halfway point, not the real one! The halfway marker? We still have all of PA to do!However, I feel as we left PA, our morale has been slowly recovering. Some up and downs, of course, but it is on a general upward trend. I hope it continues that way. We'll see how it evolves.- Axon