Date: 2017-07-28
From: Shenandoah Tenting Area 

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter Tent Site
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

7/28Shenandoah Tenting Area to Telephone Pioneers Shelter Tent Site18.1 milesTotal Miles:  1445.8I awoke at 5:45 this morning and went right to work getting ready to hike.  The plan was to do 18.1 miles today, plus I wanted to stop at the Mountain Top Deli for lunch, which added an additional 0.8 miles. I recently had someone ask how I determined how far to walk per day. There are several factors, including: anticipated terrain, available water, weather, days until next resupply, activities planned for the day (such as places to visit and special views), and available tent sites.  The trail goes through a lot of rugged terrain where there simply aren't places to set up a tent. Furthermore, many areas include restrictions that hikers can only camp at shelter areas or other designated spots.  I was on the trail by 7:30 and made good time toward NY 52, where the deli was located. The trail was like yesterday, somewhat challenging in places, but overall easy to hike.  A few miles in, I met Happy Feet, the first woman southbounder I have seen.  From talking to her for a few minutes, it's obvious how she acquired her trail name.  She left Katahdin in early June and is loving the trail.  We talked a few minutes about the trail experience in general and swapped information about upcoming trail conditions before we continued in our respective directions.  I was at NY 52 by 11:30 and quickly covered the 0.4 miles beside the highway to the deli. I passed a large aggregate facility that was busy, noisy,  and quite fascinating.  The deli lived up to its reputation, and I had a yummy chicken sandwich with all kinds of added goodies, as well as a large Gatorade, a bag of crunchy Cheetos, and an ice cream cookie. I ate on the bench outside the building, since I am quite cognizant that it's been awhile since my last shower and laundry opportunity, and I had already been soaked in sweat for several hours today.  I was soon met by Pippi and Mechanic, and Gravity arrived a bit later.  I filled my water bottles at the faucet on the side of the building. Interestingly enough, the water came out of the tap sideways and squirted against the building, instead of heading downward like one would expect. I was able to position my bottles to fill them and then found Gravity to ask him to take care of the problem, as the spigot was clearly defying him. With that bit of humor still hanging in the air, I departed the deli and returned to the trail. I soon encountered a massive tree, the second largest I have seen on the trail. While not the largest, I should pass that tree tomorrow, it is still quite huge and impressive. What does one do with such a tremendous tree on a muggy day after hiking for hours and eating a large lunch? One naps. I settled in on a side away from the trail and prepared for my ten minute power nap. I apparently turned into Stick Van Winkle and slept for nearly an hour. I was finally awoken by two very apologetic women and one very friendly basset hound.  I thanked the puppy for waking me up, as I still had a long way to go.  I can't remember the last time I have taken such a long, hard nap.  It did me good, however, and I hiked strong the rest of the day.  The tree blazing problem in New York was solved with a vengence in one area, where there was a blaze on about every third tree.  Someone even wrote on a blaze, asking the trail maintainer to calm down a bit.  In a move that I'm sure thrilled the ATC, this conscientious maintainer even painted the tips of the trippy rocks. Since there are hundreds of thousands of trippy rocks on the AT (my toes are well acquainted with many of them), I'm not sure what good comes from painting the tips of a handful of them. It is rather unsightly and a bit like spitting into a hurricane. I'm sure the maintainer's heart, if not his or her paintbrush, was in the right place.  I stopped for water at the Morgan Stewart Shelter and got to use another hand pump. The trail continued to be reasonable, although far rockier than in the morning. The disjointed jitterbug was out in force as I wanted to make it to camp before dark. I hiked along Nuclear Lake (it didn't glow) and then up West Mountain, for my first distance view in a few days. I made it to camp by 7:45 and quickly set up camp and threw my bear rope. The sky turned a beautiful shade of orange (Red sky at night. Sailor's delight) as I cooked dinner and prepared for bed. My tent is on the most sloping ground in a long time, but it's not too bad. I just cuddle up against my trekking pole (which holds up my tent) so I don't slide down the hill. Slightly deflating my air mattress helps as well, otherwise it's a bit like being on a Slip and Slide or a ride at Six Flags. Tomorrow should be another relatively long day, which will set us up for an early resupply in Kent the day after tomorrow.  The cheapest lodging we can find in Kent is $200 per night at a Bed and Breakfast, so we plan on getting in early, resupplying, and then hiking out. Which means a few more days delay for that shower and laundry.  I will be helping degrade the air quality in Connecticut, my tenth state, tomorrow.