Date: 2010-07-21
From: Hemlock Springs Camp

To: Graymoor Spiritual Center
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 2 - We get up around 7:00. Genevieve washes out the clothes from day before and I cook breakfast - scrambled eggs with refried beans (both freeze dried) really good. We use a system of two 3 gallon ziploc bags for wash and then rinse. Gen hangs the clothes on a line I strung between two trees but they don't dry. They will never dry here. We putz around rearranging packs and trying to a bag bath and before you know it is 12:00. We only have 5.1 miles so should be easy!! Before we leave I put some mole skin on a developing blister and rub my feet with cheapo brand vapor rub. This at the suggestion of Matt the barber who is also a major marathon runner. Works well - I will keep up that regimen. The trail starts out right away with a tricky steep hill climb. Who boy this pack is heavy!!! I'm really struggling but Genevieve is doing very well. My right hip muscle is starting to cramp and I have difficulty controlling this heavy pack on rock strewn downhill slopes. I stop and rest often. I meet thru-hiker "Gouda" - he started north about 4 months ago. I give him some food. Anything to reduce my pack weight. About 2:00 I meet up with Genevieve who has been waiting for me. I stop for about twenty minutes to eat lunch - peanut butter on crackers and instant milk. Everything is tasting so good! But I am determined to eat that peanut butter - it is the heaviest thing in my pack!! Right after lunch it starts to rain. I don't bother with rain gear cause I'm already soaking with sweat. I do use the pack cover that Ben gave me though. Very pleasant walking beneath the forest canopy with a steady cool rain falling. Again very beautiful country but I'm having a hard time enjoying it due to this monster on my back. Genevieve walked so much in NYC and also trained with her pack and is doing great. My right hip is tightening up - will try some stretches in the morning. Mostly we need to eat more food to reduce pack weight. We learned that most AT thru hikers don't carry much food opting to re-supply frequently in towns along the way. I finally make it out of the woods - Genevieve has been waiting over an hour and the heavens really open up and it comes down buckets of really cold rain. I am sitting on a park bench outside a small convenience store but am too exhausted to move. Besides I am too grunged out to go inside. Genevieve gets two Gatorades and we trudge on to Graymoor Spiritual Center where the guidebook says we can camp in a ballpark there. Just as we arrive the heavens open again. I flop on a park bench, cover the pack and enjoy the cold rain. There are (cold) showers, potable water and a small covered shelter. We meet several thru-hikers here. All very nice and very talkative especially with Genevieve. They give some tips. Then the rains and wind really begin in earnest. We witness a couple of tent failures. The field is covered in an inch of water. It is a tragic scene. I take a shower with my clothes on - I decided to reduce down to one set of hiking clothes and just wash them everyday. It doesn't matter if they are wet in the morning - in 30 minutes they will be soaked with sweat. We have a great dinner of BB pasta with parmesan cheese, olive oil and sun dried tomatoes and split pea soup (from freeze dried flakes). All the thru-hikers laughed at our gear but were impressed with the quality of the meals. I showed them our meal plan that (chef) Sofia put together for us. A big bonfire was started and Genevieve hung out with the guys while I got our sleeping quarters ready. Another big windy rain storm but our tent stays dry and cozy. Uploading to trailjournals.com from my blackberry. Will try to post pics at next mail drop 7/29? Lights out.