Date: 2015-08-07
From: Rangeley Maine

To: Spaulding Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

8/7, 18.7, Spaulding Mountain Shelter, 201.7 to goThese last three days have been quite a rollercoaster of emotions, difficulty and recovery. It started two days ago when we left the Pine Ellis hostel in Andover. We were up early and at breakfast at the diner at 5:15, back to the hostel at 6:00 and packed and ready for our shuttle at 7:00. In spite of keeping to our schedule we were not on trail until 7:45 after the shuttle back to the trailhead. From that point it was hike, eat, hike, drink, hike, eat, hike, eat, sleep. The trail conditions were muddy and root webbed with several difficult climbs and the weather was overcast, with a thunderstorm coming together in the afternoon. The result was by the end of he day we were all exhausted and wet and by the time I cooked and ate I was too tired to keep my eyes open to write. Then yesterday we started hiking early at 6:45 and felt like it could be a good day but progress was again very slow due to terrain and climbs. Over the course of the day we ascended multiple small ridges with each of them separated from the next by swampy muddy sections of trail making for a very frustrating hike. In addition, I did not feel well Wednesday or Thursday and was not sure why. We always talk about the common trail illnesses, Giardia from contaminated water, Lyme from ticks and Norovirus from each other but I was pretty sure they were not the issue. I just had no energy and by mid afternoon my steps were sloppy and legs rubbery like I had hiked thirty miles. Then came the kicker. I was ahead of the others and myopically focused on the trail when I discovered another low clearance dead fall over the trail with the top of my head. I was so mad and frustrated I stayed on the ground where the tree had knocked me and prayed a moment for patience and some energy. I waited for the others at the next rise and hiked silently in the back of the group the rest of the day be ause I was mad, grumpy and wanted my own little pity party. We were headed for Rangeley and I was ready for a break. We had been joined by another hiker, Trudge, so a motel room split four ways is a great deal so I was mentally preparing for the evening and decided a ribeye dinner would be the ticket to my recovery. When we arrived in Rangeley we had so much to do before business closings we would delay dinner to the end. Laundry, outfitter, new shoes for IB and a check on warranty coverage for my hiking poles before resupply shopping at IGA all had to be completed before dinner. We finally sat down in the pub at 8:45. We were again exhausted, but glad to be clean and on our way to recovery. After dinner we all repackaged our supplies for he trail and I ate a bag of popcorn with 2 sodas while checking out with Netflix. I fell asleep about midnight and was awake several times with a pain in my left foot that comes and goes since Mahoosuc Notch. I'm sure I just strained a tendon but it likes to remind me of it's presence a couple times a day and night. Again, writing my journal did not happen.Today, we woke in the motel at our usual 5 am with plans to be at the road trying to hitch by 6:30 since it was 8 miles back to the trail removing the walking option as practical. We walked up towards the trail past the bagel shop when a local hostel owner greeted us. That story is actually more complicated but the short version is we were going to stay at his hostel and had requested bunks online but due to cell service had never received confirmation. Then we heard via "hiker com" that the hostel is off the grid with no showers or power. In some situations that would be ok but last night we needed to be in town with recharge options. So Steve greeted us with, "Hey, I missed you guys and had a great pasta dinner all prepared, sorry you could not make it." I embarrassed made a quick apology as we continued walking and he went into the bagel shop. As IB and I walked a few steps further IB wondered if we might be able to pay him for a shuttle back to the trail. The hostel is actually .3 from there so we knew he was going our way making it a good idea so I swallowed my overactive introvert and waited for Steve to come out of the store. I offered my apologies again and Steve was very gracious in agreeing to shuttle us. When we arrived at the trailhead I gave him 20 dollars and asked if that was enough to which he replied it was plenty and would be added to his fund to feed third world children. We did not have time to talk in depth but he said he uses donations for shuttles to fund his non hiker season work in a third world location feeding children. With that the other guys added to the donation and we thanked Steve and were on trail at 7 am. As soon as we started hiking I was aware that I felt very different in what one might call a recovered way. My legs felt good and I felt rested in spite of short sleep. Along with the weather forecast of partly cloudy and cool it looked to be a good day of hiking. We had three major mountains to ascend, each separated by a low valley and one of those valleys presenting a river ford. Total climbing today would add up to over 4700 feet. We hiked strong to the top of Saddleback mountain bagging another 4000 ft peak and realized we were all hiking stronger. In addition the trail was drier as it had not rained since yesterday afternoon and was getting a chance to drain some making for better conditions. As we hiked through the morning I was feeling very good. In reflecting on the cause of my fatigue I had settled on the likelihood that reducing my pack weight for these final mountainous weeks by modifying my food left me with a calorie deficit that was taking its toll. My weight at the last hostel is down to 175, which is ok, but I decided to add back in some protein and fat that had ended up missing from my diet due to it's weight. I was using peanut butter, tuna salad and prepackaged tuna to add these things to my meals but had removed then from my pack to reduce weight. I now know the effect of my diet on energy because after loading up in town on those type of calories, and eating them more as I hiked today, I felt very good. We hiked long again today trying to finish this monster called the AT. We arrived at our chosen destination at dusk, which is now about 8:15 to find a youth group from Vermont had taken over the shelter. As a former youth leader I was disappointed in the leaders of bis group. The teens volunteered to vacate the shelter which should have given the leaders a hint. Basically, a large group in any backcountry should tent together, away from other hikers/campers and teaching good backcountry manners is essential. Fortunately the teens themselves were very good and quieted down around 9 pm. We finished our dinner and tented to sleep around 10:30 under a beautiful, dry starry sky.Silverback