Date: 2019-08-15
From: Lion's Head Trail 

To: Hemlocks Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

The slack-packing yesterday felt amazing, and since I had paid for it already, I figured I'd do it again today. This time, Dave brought my pack to me instead of bringing me back to the hostel. The hike was beautiful, but very strenuous. I was grateful to have less weight to drag over the three mountains I climbed. As I crossed into Massachusetts, the most amazing thing happened! The bugs STAYED IN CONNECTICUT. I kid you not. They were dive-bombing me all morning, and when I crossed the border (which is nothing more than a sign nailed to a tree in the middle of the woods), they stopped in their little buggy tracks! I like you already, Massachusetts!  Tonight is my last night on the trail, but I don't feel the way I usually do at the end a hike. I'm ready to leave. I'm ready to go home and sleep in my bed and let my body recover. This week has had it's ups for sure, but it also had some new low points. It's hard to be out here alone because I'm forced to face myself in ways that I don't have to when I'm in the bustle of the city. It's easy to distract myself at home, but out here, the silence can be deafening. I've been unhappy with this section for multiple reasons; some of which are myself, some are outside my control. Connecticut certainly hasn't been my favorite state... Lots of bugs, deceptively difficult climbs with less than rewarding views, dried up stream beds, minimal wildlife.What has made this section truly uncomfortable for me, though, is myself. I got used to hiking with the thru-hiker bubble. It's a lot easier to go through less than ideal terrain or eat your weight in bugs when you can laugh about it with someone at the end of the day. I haven't spent the night alone yet (though it's looking like that might happen tonight...), but the population of the trail had declined drastically. Where a shelter once was packed to the gills, now there's just one person in it. A lot of the people that I do see are heading in the other direction or hiking way too many miles for me to keep up. So even the people that I am interacting with are gone just as quickly as they appeared. When I stepped back out here seven days ago, I was expecting the same experience that I had in the Shenandoahs in June. So when it wasn't that, I had a lot of time adjusting. Really, I don't know that I did adjust. I need to remember how to enjoy this alone. I also pushed myself much harder than I should have physically. My knees and back are in constant pain in a way that I haven't felt yet this season. I shouldn't have expected to be able to hike so many big mile days back to back like I did without any training ahead of time.There were a lot of really great things, too, though. I spotted some beautiful birds, identified some new plants, stood on the tallest mountain in Connecticut, met a rattlesnake for the first time, and had some good conversations with some very interesting people. I also successfully tried out some new gear that I'm very excited about. Most importantly, I think, I learned some new things about myself. I'll be leaving happily tomorrow, but only so that I can heal, regroup, and head right back out next week.