Date: 2017-07-24
From: RPH Shelter, Hortontown Rd.

To: Hurd Corners Rd., Pawling, NY
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was one of those hot nights when I opened my sleeping bag and just used part of it as a blanket.  I woke at 5:00 to the sound of light rain.  Terri and I were on the trail an hour later. Shortly after we started hiking the rain became heavier.  For the next six hours we hiked in a steady hard rain - up over wet slippery rocks, through puddles and mud and down the same terrain.  It was painstaking work because there were lots of rocks to be crossed.  When rocks are wet they're slippery.  If they have moss or lichen on them they're even slicker.  Since I'm now painfully aware that just one wrong step could end my hike, I proceeded very slowly and deliberately.  It took us three and a half hours to hike the first five miles, less than one and a half miles per hour.It was 65 degrees when we set out.  I wore shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, with my poncho on top. Usually I wear my sunhat over the hood of the poncho, but it  hadn't rained in so long that I'd forgotten why I needed it.  Once on the trail the need became apparent: without something on top of the hood to hold it in place, it falls down over my eyes and also obscures my peripheral vision. For the first several miles I constantly tried to adjust the hood so that it didn't fall in my face.  No luck. Finally Terri remembered that she had a sun visor that I could put underneath the hood to keep it from falling in my face.  We slogged on like this for six and a half hours.Here are some things to know about hiking in the rain: - No matter what you wear, you will get soaked to the skin. - Within half an hour of hiking in the rain, your fingernails will be sparkly clean. - Once your feet are wet there is still strategy for approaching puddles. - If the temperature is high and the rain is warm, hike through the puddle. - If the temperature is cold, try to avoid the puddle.  The water already in your shoes will have absorbed some of your body heat and provide some insulation.  If you step in the puddle the partially warmed water is displaced by the cold water in the puddle.  - Rainwater tastes good.  - Once your shoes and socks are wet, water will squish out the top of your shoe when you step on a rock.  - If you have to start out with wet shoes, it helps to wear wool socks.  Even when they soak up water from the shoes they still provide insulation and warmth.Around 12:30 the rain finally stopped.  We were very wet and chilled.  We decided to stop at Morgan Stewart Shelter to take off our wet ponchos for a bit and have lunch in a dry place.  The shelter was completely full of hikers who were just waking up. They had decided to wait out the rain.  So we stood by the picnic table and ate lunch.  One of them told us the latest news on the trail.  A skunk followed a section hiker for a mile and a half, got into the vestibule of his tent, and sprayed him.  Rumor is that the hiker went home.Eventually we warmed up and picked up the pace.  During the last part of the hike we saw the Dover Oak, the biggest oak tree on the AT.  We met Crayola there and talked to her a bit.  The last part of the hike passed through a large wetland on a long boardwalk.  At the end of the boardwalk Scrambler caught up with us.  He'd been at the same shelter with us last night and had waited out the storm.  He started hiking at 11:30 and arrived at the endpoint at the same time we did - five and a half hours faster than our time. We stopped to take photos of the Appalachian Trail train stop. Then he headed off to walk an additional .7 mile to get to a deli.  We're now set up in a field beside the trail, Crayola having joined us for the evening.  I have once again retrieved my wool long underwear to wear to bed.  Apparently it will never be sent home for summer. Tomorrow we hike 18.2 miles, then head into Kent, Connecticut to pick up mail, get groceries, and do laundry.