Date: 2007-06-16
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: US 60
Miles today: 16.3

June 16, Eight Hundred Miles!My intention was to walk 20 miles today but when Eric tried to drive me down the road to the trailhead, it was not a pretty sight. The road was a disaster and his car was bottoming out. My plan was to get a few miles ahead of my fellow A-Team friends so that I didn't have to worry about finding them later. But, since the road was not passable, we headed to the Fish Hatchery Road instead.As I got ready to hike, Ronin and Young Eagle arrived and were headed into Montebello for the night. It was an exciting reunion! By the day's end, I would be at the same point on the trail as Melk, Ronin and Young Eagle.So, first I had to walk a mile to get to the trail. I tried not to reflect on how maddening this was. There was a perfectly passable road the whole way there, it was just gated shut! So today I actually hiked 17 miles and tomorrow I'll have to hike that mile again. It counts for nothing. Bah.Anyway, I was hiking southbound today which allowed me to avoid a three mile climb at the beginning of the day. Quite nice. I saw a lot of people today which is the fun part of hiking south - Swamp (who I'd met at Low Gap the second week on the trail), Melk, Alright, Sweetwater, Rosie, and others.The trail was full of ups and downs all day but I was actually enjoying it. None of the hills were unbearably steep and it was just a nice, leisurely walk today. Plus, I had been visited by my old friend, The Sun. That made everything better. I listened to good music today and the hike was very relaxing. The morning was pretty much spent in the green tunnel.I met Eric for lunch at Salt Log Gap and he surprised me by bringing lunch - no tuna for me (thank God!). It was really nice to sit outside in the sun for lunch.About thirty minutes later, I was on my way. After about a mile, I paused for celebration. Actually, I'd made it to the top of a hill and thought the view was awesome so I stopped to check my guidebook to see how far I'd come. Well, by all estimates, this was the 800 mile mark! It was a perfect place. I was on Tar Jacket Ridge, the sun was shining, I was surrounded by two of the most beautiful wildflowers I've seen yet, there was a spectacular (and clear) view, and I had just walked 800 miles! Perfect.I stopped to look for something to create a mile marker with but there was nothing - a first. So, I used my dirty socks, a dirty bandana, and the bottoms of my convertible pants which were actually clean. I was alone so I had to rig my pack against my trekking poles as a tripod. I was having quite a load of fun. I can't believe I've reached 800 miles. That's almost halfway! So, I enjoyed the views there for a while and I was in a great mood. I moved on and down, through Hog Camp Gap, and then up Cold Mtn. Everything was pretty today and the views off of Cold Mtn. were great - Cold is a bald so I appreciated being there on a clear day.So, the rest of the day was pretty much down, then up, and then a gigantic downhill (the one I avoided climbing up this morning). Eric met me with about 2.5 miles to go and we got to US 60 at about quarter to 6 p.m.It was a good day. It made me happy to think about where I was at each hundred-mile marker so far. I now have 1,364.9 miles to Katahdin. Here's hoping!- Sound of the fan in the hotel room, cars zooming by on the nearby highway, sound of Eric sorting through our laundry saying "boy clothes, girl clothes".Post Trail Thoughts:Well, this was a fun day. It was so nice having Eric out there because I always had something to look forward to - a chair at a break, a real lunch, or just my friend. I really liked slackpacking SOBO because I'd often get to see trail friends that I hadn't seen in a little while but who were around.I still remember the 800 mile mark as amazing. It was such a beautiful spot and I had it all to myself. It was a really nice feelingEric and I stayed at some random hotel off of an interstate that night.