Date: 2014-06-13
From: RPH Shelter

To: Appalachian Trail Train Station
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This is it. Today is the big rain day. Hopefully that means the humidity fest will be over later. Even better is that friends of Gandalf's are coming in to take him out to eat and put him up in a hotel. He invited me to come along. Score! No matter how bad it is today a hot shower and soft bed is waiting for me. But on to the hike. Left early as usual for an unbelievably sticky hike. Pushing through reeds and skunk cabbage. Squishy wet. Pretty easy hike though. There's yet another deli opportunity today but seriously this executive tour has gotten out of hand and I just can't. I could ...but I can't. I've carried all this food that I'm not eating because the availability of all this other food. Delectable hot filling food. I just hike by. The rest of the crew went but I just moved on. Was rewarded by a huge field with Bambi's mom in the middle then an enormous oak tree. This one got lucky and missed the axe. Just the right spot. I stopped and sat on a branch to eat.   Timing was everything though. If only I hadn't (although well worth it) I would have made it to the next shelter before all hell broke loose, but it did. And again I've just opted to go without a raincoat. If you put it on you get as wet under that from all the sweat so you might as well allow a little clean rain rinse-off instead of marinating in more sweat. Spent about ten minutes in a heavy shower before I got to the shelter. Decided to just rest and hang out until it lightened up. With all this great cell service up here I could check the radar. Looks like were in the thick of it for a while. Everyone else shows up in about twenty minutes and we sit about an hour. I'm ready to be done today so as soon as it seemed reasonable I suited up and went back out. Very very wet. This won't be so much fun. My shoes are just about in their last tread. Good thing I've got a new pair in NYC waiting for me. Pennsylvania just tore this pair up with holes and torn soles and no tread. Any water just goes right through. My socks are squeezable. Fortunately it was a pretty easy hike. Past another beaver dam. Love those. Then saw the Dover Oak - the largest tree on the trail, and up some fields to head back down into a beautiful wetlands and boardwalk area that leads all the way to the famous Appalachian Trail train station. Met two very nice inquisitive ladies on the boardwalk and chatted about fifteen minutes. Stepped off the boardwalk and over the train tracks to salvation! Next door is a garden center that let's you camp if you like. Very hiker friendly. We rallied there to meet our parties and charge phones. Gandalf's friends showed up in no time and were a delight! Extremely nice interesting fun people. Sal and Dorice are former colleagues and brought beer and Oreos! I learned how to pop off the beer cap with a lighter. Like I'm in college again. Stayed and chatted long enough to drink up that beer then got in the car (a car!) to head to the hotel. These two are great. So generous. The hotel is actually all the way over in Danbury Connecticut and so nice. Soft soft beds. We just beat the next storm. A few showers later and we're off to dinner. Fun place where the owner was really interested in us doing the trail. Had a steak salad I had been craving since North Carolina! And spinach and potatoes and creamed corn. And then a cheesecake! What a night. And what great conversation. I'm going to sleep so so well.