Date: 2006-07-19
From: the bean homestead

To: slackpacking!!
Miles today: 470.0

Holy Hannah, it has been HOT!! HOT, HOT, HOT!!   We're presently taking a zero day at the Beanfolk home, trying to rehydrate and keep out of the heat. Yesterday we got up and hiked eight miles into Salisbury, CT where at 9:00 AM, it was already 92 degrees out and we were soaked with sweat. We decided that perhaps walking up and over mountains for 20 miles in scorching heat and humidity with 35 pounds loaded onto our backs was maybe not the healthiest idea we'd ever put into motion. We figured we were only and hour or so away from home, so we called Mamma Bean who sent the BeanBro down to pick us up. (Thank you again, Denny!) The two of us, along with Rip and Hugger, are watching movies and playing with the mutts. No walking. No sweating. No cursing the damn AT which seems to have no end.    This heat has been ridiculous. We checked out the back page of the paper yesterday, which displays the weather patterns for the whole country. The entire country was colored in bright orange. Temps everywhere in the nineties or up over 100. I guess maybe it isn't the trail personally attacking us. Hopefully everyone out there is staying cool and keeping sane enough to not throw a pack on their back and head for the woods.   Besides the heat, there's not a whole lot to report on. Though, I might mention that I did have my scariest moment on the trail thus far just two days ago. Ork and I were finishing up the last mile and a half of a 19 mile day on our way to some trail magic when he says from behind, "Beanie, I don't feel so good." I turned to look at him and he's just standing there, sort of swaying in the road. His eyes were all bloodshot and sunk back into his head with these sort of eerie, deep dark bags underneath them. I thought he might just keel over right there on the road. He was extremely dehydrated and getting a little delirious. We stopped for a while and he finished off all the water we had. Good thing we only had a short distance to our destination which had plenty of water coming from a tap. It was kind of a long night of sleep with him unzipping the tent every hour or so to go to the bathroom, but at least he was feeling better.    Hiking has been difficult lately; its not so much the terrain, or the heat, or even the swarming mosquitoes. Its just a lot of hiking. Everyday. Mentally, it is exhausting. It seems most everyone hiking around us kind of feels the same way these days, and most everyone is in agreeance that we've just come too close to Maine to not go all the way. We are really looking forward to getting up into the higher elevations in Vermont and particularly New Hampshire. Hiking in the Whites is supposed to be very difficult and we're actually looking forward to it.    The good news is that we're still travelling in great company and are starting to meet new people as we come across the first of the southbounders.   For the next few days, the four of us are going to hang around the Bean Homestead and do a bunch of slackpacking, which we're really looking forward to. We're going to pack yummy, already-hydrated things to eat, like sandwiches and peaches, and lots of gatorade. It should be fun. The weather is supposed to break here and drop down into the eighties. You know its been hot when you think 85 degrees is a cold snap!    Well, we hope everyone is staying cool and doing well. We are healthy and sure happy to be in a house with real food and beds. We will probably be updating again in the next day or so while we're in the area. Until then, Happy Trails!!ORK and BEAN