Date: 2017-08-05
From: Pine Swamp lean to

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 17.0

When some nobos asked me what the trail was like in the bit of Connecticut I'd already done, I said the immediate analogy that came to mind was ballroom dancing. Some of them looked a little puzzled, so I added: "It's like quick-slow-quick-quick-slow."Today particularly exemplified this, with five of the easiest miles on the entire AT bookended by some of the toughest miles since we left the big mountains behind. All this means it's hard to make any kind of sensible prediction for how far one might be able to hike on any given day.There were other factors at play personally too, and this morning I'd expected to make a late start, using the forecast half-day of rain to rest and catch up on this journal. The decision to stay in the shelter was rewarded when rain began to fall soon after dawn. Soon it was falling heavily, prompting some of the campers nearby to take shelter within.But an hour later, it seemed to have blown itself out. An updated weather forecast -- thanks to the newfound internet connectivity in the lower New England states -- showed that it had indeed been one short sharp storm rather than the all-day drizzle that had been predicted.I was good with that, because it meant I could head on and crank some miles, even though the idea of a rest after averaging nearly 20 miles a day for more than a week also held undoubted appeal.The decision not to have headed on the previous evening proved to be the right one because the next section of trail were some of the slow-steps of the ballroom dancing analogy and, based on my time this morning, it seemed I'd have struggled to arrive before dark.But maybe that pace also reflected the time since my last true zero day? For some of the climbs that followed, it definitely felt a little like I was running on empty.This was particularly the case for the ascent of Silver Hill, which had a campsite on the far side featuring a roofed pavilion, which had originally been a potential goal for the previous evening before I succumbed to the serial food vortexes of Salisbury and Falls Village.This was one of the enervating climbs that bookended the easiest five miles yet of the AT, where it followed along the now-substantial Housatonic River. The break -- and the ability to stride out -- was something unimaginable back when we'd been dealing with the quagmire gymnastics of Maine.Bashful and I had been leapfrogging each other, in another example of tortoise-vs-hare hiking styles. My naturally faster pace was offset by my wish to chat with all the nobos we were meeting and to hear some of their stories, during which time she'd catch up again.One thing she's mentioned was that she'd decided to get off the trail in New Jersey, having concluded she'd spent too long away from her partner. Until then, she'd reduced her mileage to 10 miles or so a day so she'd enjoy her final weeks on the trail.She stopped at the shelter midway through the riverside section but I pushed on, aiming to get into Kent that night. In between was St John's Ledges, which was billed, according to the comments in the guide, as some of the most difficult trail since the Whites.As stated often before, I'd long since ceased paying attention to nobos' warnings but wondered if maybe this was a message worth heeding. Comments on Guthook, the app I'm using as the trail guide, talked about it being exceptionally sketchy to do in wet weather.But of course it was fine, featuring a boulder staircase that we'd have dreamed of seeing in the middle of the Mahoosucs. Once on the crest of the ridge, the trail undulated relatively gently for the next few miles before eventually coming down to the road.After about 20 minutes with my thumb out, I was driven to the supermarket to stock up for the next section of the AT. Kent proved to be a wealthy little town, clearly showing the gentrifying effect of its proximity to NYC, and on this pleasant August weekend, it was hosting some kind of classic car show and sidewalk sale. The place was humming.Then I went to find a restaurant to fulfill my more immediate needs for calories and alcohol, finding the perfect place at the Kent Pizza Garden.Life is good.AT fact of the day: As I was finding a place for dinner, a bunch of archetypal weekend tourists were chatting about the AT and then looked at me as if I was some kind of exotic species. After the usual questions -- I've been hiking for two months, I hope to be done by Halloween and, spoiler alert, I have to sleep in the woods -- they asked me where I was sleeping tonight. I think my answer ("I have no idea") might have truly shocked them.