Date: 2021-05-29
From: Ten Mile River campground 

To: Silver Hill Campsite
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: moderate rain

The rain that began at 5pm yesterday intensified overnight and didn¢t stop until 5 am. I clicked the radar on my weather app and saw that there was a small window of no rain until 6:30. So, I scrapped my lay about plan and got packed up. I saw Free outside his tent wrestling with something and walked over, turns out the heavy rain turned into a creek under his tent and all his gear - sleeping bag included - was soaked. I looked at the Guthooks app and saw there was a laundromat 9 miles up the trail in Kent, Ct. He¢d be headed there to make his sleep system usable. One mile in I took a half mile road walk to a convenience store that is hiker-friendly. This was Bull¢s Bridge, Connecticut and I had to cross a one lane covered bridge to get there. The river had gotten angry from all the rain and the rapids were in full action. At the store I got some coffee, a chocolate milk, a vitamin water (packed for later) and a bag of macadamia nuts. The store owner, who is from India, was very nice asked me questions about my hike as she rang me up. While I sat outside and drank I charged some gear and threw some nuts to the sparrows who were holding some sort of revival meeting next to the building.  Oddly, I saw a man wearing a Covid mask emerge from the woods across the street and go to the porta potty the store owner had outside for hikers. A few minutes later he left the porta potty, crossed the road and went back into the woods. I had many, many questions, but was more concerned about possible answers, so I let it go. Back on trail I came across Free going through a large garbage bag where the trail left the road. Turns out someone had left a whole mess of crackers, instant meals, snack cakes, sodas and beer as trail magic. Sadly, the mice had already been at some of the food as a garbage bag isn¢t quite what you need to keep critters out. Free had already salvaged the good snack cakes (stoner¢s gold) and some other chow. I had a Diet Coke and moved on. The next 6 miles of trail was Newt central. Holy Moses, there was seemingly a rust-orange Newt every 20 feet. I had to watch carefully lest I trod on one as they don¢t move when you approach, seemingly relying on camouflage for defense. Once the rains came back at 9:30 they seemed to disappear back into their...dens? Lairs? Pits? Burrows? Fortresses? I guess I don¢t know the proper Newt-house nomenclature. I did chat with one day hiker for a bit at the top of a climb. She had thru¢hiked back in 2001 and was out for a 12 miler to get some strength back. She had fallen on a hike back in February and had broken her shoulder. This was after losing her job as a Wine Sommelier in Chicago due the pandemic and also losing her apartment. My problems don¢t compare. I was surprised to see about a dozen day hikers in the rain and even 5 or 6 people out to backpack and camp for the holiday weekend- weather be damned. I gave no problem admitting that I would¢ve changed my plans. 45 degrees and heavy rain isn¢t the starting point for good times. Later in the day I came to an overlook called St John¢s Ledges. There were a man and a woman there and when I said hello they called me over. Turns out they had just finished their sixth climb to the top for the day. There were 7 of them doing this as a tribute and in remembrance for a six year old boy who had died of a brain aneurysm last year. The gentleman told me they were about to head down and he had trail magic at the parking lot. I told them I¢d see them there!I almost didn¢t. I could barely make it down the steep, slippery rocky downhill without falling, let alone do it six times like they had. At one point I actually sat on the edge of a boulder to let myself down to the ledge below. Though it has been established that I suck at going downhill. At the parking lot Smokey (that¢s the guy¢s trail name) opened up coolers full of drinks, sandwiches, water and he had baskets of fruit, candy bars and chips. What a spread. Smokey is a retired sheriff  (as in Smokey and the Bandit) who did a 750 mile AT section hike two years ago. It was just poor timing that I was the first NOBO they had seen all day. I helped myself to a Powerade, a chicken sandwich and some chips. Sat and talked trail for 30 minutes until I realized I was shivering from the cold and made my apologies to move on. They told me I might run into a ¢very tall woman¢ who had completed the 6-up 6-down earlier and went to hike some more. The rain had stopped by now as I hiked to get warm, my intention being to go to a shelter area about two miles away. But once again I altered my plans, figuring this momentary lack of rain meant I should push a little further on. There was another campsite 4 miles up trail that I made my new target. About one half mile from the camp I saw a very talk woman coming downhill toward me. I said to her: ¢You look like someone who hiked the ledges 6 times today¢. Then I explained how I knew this. Turns out that in addition to doing the memorial Ledge climb, she was also finishing 26.2 miles of hiking for the day as part of a Make A Wish fundraiser. Then next weekend she¢s going to hike all 50-some miles of the AT in Connecticut in 24 hours for another fundraiser. I¢ve said this before and I guess I still mean it: people will surprise you with their generosity and kindness. When I got to the camping area I changed into dry clothes and put on my warmest stuff. It still wasn¢t enough to ward off the shivers, but it helped. I downed some calories and then spent 15 minutes looking high and low through all my gear for my toothbrush and toothpaste. I gave them up for lost and resigned myself to a few days with trash mouth. Suddenly I remembered that I was clever this morning (I really thought so at the time) and put them away in a hip belt pouch. Trash mouth averted, I finally changed out of my wet shoes and sox and am once more cocooned in my hammock. This weather is nuts. Three days ago I¢m sweating through my clothes in 88 degree weather and now it¢s 42 degrees with rain predicted starting Sunday at 3 an throufb Monday noon. I plan on getting up early, packing up, putting on still wet gear, and waking to stay warm. This is fine.