Date: 2019-06-10
From: Mile 1563.3

To: Mount Katahdin, Maine 
Miles today: 16.5

Woke up this morning to a crisp 47 degrees and clear skies. I packed up and was on the trail for 4:30. Yesterday¢s 27 miles set me up for the 7.8 mile trek into the town of Dalton, MA. I didn¢t intend to hike 27 miles, but once again designated camping sites are either too close or too far apart. When stealth camping you take what you can find and that ranges from ¢perfect¢ to ¢it¢ll work.¢ While hiking I began to reflect on a phone call with a friend while I was in Great Barrington. We were discussing the weather and I shared that although it was warm, the humidity was low and it was pleasant. He went on to say that he thought I would be walking since the weather was good. He¢s got a point, but after a 4.5 day, high mileage hitch in the mountains, my body needs attention and rest. Regardless of the method, if any, I choose to use to clean up at night, the sweat and stench from strenuous ascends stays with me and becomes accumulative and somewhat unbearable. There¢s also only a certain amount of punishment you can sustain, and bruised feet need time to heal. When I dropped down into Dalton, there was another hiker walking down the street. He shared that he was a flip-flopper and that he started in Harpers Ferry. Flip-flopper is a term used when starting somewhere on the trail, reaching Maine and then traveling back to trek the southern part. It seems anticlimactic to me as it would be hard to celebrate at Mount Katahdin knowing you still have 1000+ miles to complete, but to each his own. He began to walk with me and asked how long I¢d been on the trail. I told him since Amicalola Falls on March 11th. We talked momentarily and he said ¢I guess I¢ll see how far I can go.¢ That is something you¢ll never here a thru-hiker say, especially at this stage of the journey as most are focused, disciplined and committed. You have to be to make it this far. I¢ve seen several flip-floppers lately and they¢re easy to pick out by either looks or demeanor. I see very few thru-hikers. At some point in our brief conversation he said that I looked weathered. Soon he veered off and was gone. I was a bit taken back and thought about it for a while, but I guess he may be right. My shoes are in bad shape with the sole on my right shoe coming apart. My hat is white from the salt of my sweat. Mud is slung onto the inside of my calves and poison ivy welts are visible on parts of my lower legs. Unlike mosquitos which drink from a straw, my upper arms have festered bites from flies that chew, along with some poison ivy on my arms also. My beard has become unkept again since my haircut back in Port Clinton and lastly, I¢m as dark as I would be back home now from mowing grass, fishing or working on the farm. So I guess weathered may be appropriate. I made it to the Dalton Restaurant where I enjoyed a huge breakfast, complete with real maple syrup on my pancakes. Afterwards, I hiked over the mountain to the town of Cheshire where I¢ll camp near a church field to prepare for a night of heavy rain and weather, as there are no hostels or hotels here. I hiked a total of 16.5 miles today. I close this journal entry after speaking to my wife Rachael and wishing her a Happy Birthday! She¢s my biggest blessing of all.