Date: 2015-07-17
From: Appalachian Trail Train

To: CT 341 at Mile 1467.1 (Kent)
Miles today: 18.4

Here I am, in quite possibly the nicest digs of my entire hike, past and future.And yesterday was really nice too! I had a great night's sleep in a wonderful and comfy bed and breakfast included rooibos tea and homemade bars that were quite tasty. I couldn't tell you what was in them, aside from chia seeds. . Thanks again to Plantman for opening up his house to Southpaw and me! As I told him, it is experiences like that and people like him that make hiking the AT much more than a hike.When we drove back to the trailhead this morning, it was only 52 degrees out! Another fall day in July and I'm loving it. Our hike started with a walk along the edge of a pasture and so our feet got wet immediately. A bit further down the trail we went through some Nature Conservancy land and either they don't believe in trail maintenance or they think ten inches of trail is wide enough, but the (tall!) plants got some of the rest me wet as well. Still, it was a beautiful day out and I didn't really care.Yesterday had been such a rush to get to the road on time that I was determined to relax and take my time today. The trail was quite easy though, so the morning actually went very quickly. It didn't hurt that I completed another state today and crossed the NY/CT state line. I was by myself so the picture is not quite as exciting, but I did put my poles in it as proof I was really there! I had done 8 miles before I knew it and decided to take a snack break at the Ten Mile River. Realizing I was at the river also made me realize I had just done one of the smaller climbs of today without even noticing. That absolutely *never* happens!I soaked my feet in the river and ate the apple I had brought from Plantman's house and before long was on my way. It was a really nice break in a very pretty area.Not too long after the river came my big climb of the day, up Schagticoke Mountain. I can never remember that name, but I wonder if it's bastardized Dutch? This climb was a real work-out and it may have been my imagination but I also think both the temperature and humidity had risen a fair amount by this time. Earlier in the morning we had had some rockless trail that made me so giddy that I sent a text to Southpaw (well ahead of me by then): "omg, no rocks, I don't know what to do with myself". Sadly, the rocks did return on Schagticoke and stayed with me the rest of the day. I am hopeful they will peter out soon, if only temporarily.I was taking another break at some rocks with a view when I received a text from Southpaw telling me about trail magic at the road. I had about 4 miles to go and I had been sitting on my rocks for a while, so this finally spurred me on to finish for the day.When I got there, there was a spread of fruit, salads with all the fixings you can think of, and rolls with cold cuts. I chatted with AT-mom and her husband who were hosting, while eating some fruit and salad. Veggies two days in a row! I walked to town and passed the outfitter/ice cream shop on my way. I was expecting 5 (!) packages there so I went in for a smoothie and to collect my packages. One wasn't there, but I got lots of goodies, including home baked goods in every single package! Thank you Cherokee (and mrs. Cherokee), Dagstag, hally and Iris and Michelle, you are all awesome! I still need to open my Christmas gifts from Cherokee, but I do know there was a giant brownie in the box. Will report back on the other things in more detail tomorrow.Jim and Gini are the parents of friends of mine back home, and they very graciously, without even having met me, offered to host me while I'm here in Kent. So I am writing this from another comfortable bed in a lovely room in their equally lovely old house. It's a good thing I'm not zeroing tomorrow or they might be stuck with me forever. I even got my doggy fix when their dog Sage and I struck a mutually beneficial arrangement where I would pet her and she would let me. What more could you want? Oh, another great salad with blueberry ice cream (and brownies!) for dessert maybe?Tomorrow I will reorganize the care package contents and possibly ship some ahead. Some of the brownies (I swear it's pounds of brownies!) will be shared with other hikers at Spot of Tea's trail magic. I will hike there after I make a quick stop at the grocery store and then I get to hang out with Spot of Tea! I have no idea where I'll end up tomorrow, possibly not much further than the four miles down the trail to Spot of Tea's magic, but it should be a fun day!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?