Date: 2009-07-12
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Lean-to
Miles today: 20.5

It rained all night, and there was a lot of shifting going on in sleeping bags. I didn¢t sleep well. Kog got up at 5 to go to the bathroom, got back in his sleeping bag, but couldn¢t go back to sleep. I saw him looking at his watch every couple of minutes. I sat up at 5:50, which prompted him to get up and start packing. I offered him some coffee, knowing how much he loves it, and also gave him a few extra snacks to help him through the day, as he is perpetually low on food.   At 7:30, I was the fifth thru-hiker to leave the shelter. The sunlight streaming through the fog among the trees was a beautiful sight, and I took some time to photograph it. I took the hike easy that day, stopping at Nuclear Lake for a break. It was beautiful! I saw Matchstick up ahead, but wanted to walk alone today.    I decided to stop in at Telephone Pioneers Shelter for a couple of minutes to read the register. There was a couple there, as well as another party. When the other party left, the couple sat down at the picnic table and the woman invited me over. ¢Me?¢ I asked, not expecting to be included. I sat down and Rockstar (the woman) started feeding me gourmet food! I certainly was not expecting this! First, she cut me some slices of pepper-covered pepperoni, followed by slices of parmesean cheese. Then, she offered me some wine, which I had with crackers and a couple of slices of pear! Rockstar and her boyfriend, Groupie were a really nice couple who had just started their southbound section hike. They had spent much of their first few miles sharing their delicious food with thru-hikers. I ended up spending 70 minutes at that shelter, instead of my intended 10! Rockstar thought I was a lot younger than I am, and asked what my parents thought about me being out there alone (as several people along the journey have asked me). I have to tell them that I have parents who don¢t even care if I am alive, much less that I am out here. Few people seem to have an understanding for my situation, but Rockstar got it right away, and was sincerely sad for me, which I really appreciated. Super-great people, those 2 are.    I had to get going, but was really glad I had such a nice and understanding interaction with people- something I could use a lot more of in my life. The next landmark that I reached was the largest Oak tree on the AT. Before I passed it, though, I stopped at a residence, which offered hikers the use of their spicket. How nice! I arrived back at the Dover Oak as another party was hiking south towards it. They asked me to take their picture, and I got an opportunity to have my picture taken with it. It was my lucky day! After crossing through tall-grass fields, I came to a road with the famous Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. Three groups of female hikers were hanging out on the benches and I wondered if they were planning on going into NYC. (This year, there were more female hikers on the AT than ever before). In fact, they were just waiting for their turn for a shower at the nursery next door. I had heard about this possibility from Braid, who was several days ahead of me, and planned on taking the opportunity to get a shower here, myself. First, I had to wait for three people ahead of me. I asked the employee at the nursery if I could charge my phone while I waited, and he had no problem with that, even though I had to turn on the decorative lights, which were connected to the power. The sun was beating down and everything in my pack was roasting. I snacked inside as I waited my turn. When Storm was finished with her shower, she informed me that all of the hot water was used up, so I would have to wait even longer. What a luxury it was, when I finally was able to get in. There was soap in there for us, and I used the last of the shampoo and conditioner that I had been carrying. It had been 8 days since my last shower at the mayor¢s! I found it extraordinary that the owner of this store would allow all of us, and the mud we carried, into his personal bathroom! As I sat outside, collecting my things, a customer asked me a question, saying I looked like I worked there. I found that surprising at first, as I don¢t consider myself a farm-type girl! But, I guess, after all this time outside, I was starting to look the part... I was definitely tanner than I¢ve ever been in my life!   I said goodbye to the free-range chickens and caged doves and wandered through more fields before entering the woods once again. The hot sun was taking its toll on me and my energy waned. I started slowing down and eventually had to take a break. I passed the Divas and kept looking for the road, which was the next landmark listed in my guidebook. It wasn¢t coming! I heard music in the distance and hoped I would come across a party with food, but never saw anything... On I continued, hoping for that road to appear so I would know I had just under five miles to go... I finally reached Wiley Shelter, where a large party of campers were set-up, but not around at the moment. I flipped through the registry, as the Divas came in, and then got going. I crossed the NY border into Connecticut, but took no time to celebrate. No one was around, anyway. I had a big climb ahead of me, and wanted to listen to Pandora to help me up, but my phone was not getting enough signal. The descent was equally tough, and by the time I got to the Ten Mile River Lean-to, I was completely spent. My feet had been aching for a long time. All I wanted to do was sleep. I decided to check out the shelter to see who might be there, knowing the campsites were a little ways up the trail. No thru-hikers were at the shelter- only a loud-mouthed party of smokers, who assumed I must be one of the Divas. No, not me... I quickly flipped through the registry, mustered all of my remaining energy to put my pack back on and continued on to the campsites, just as the hour approached 8 pm. Kog was already inside his tent for the night, and Matchstick was hanging around, upset that campfires were prohibited in CT, as he had just bought a pack of hot dogs and corn on the cob. I found some trees to string up my hammock and cooked dinner in the last moments of light. I crawled into bed and heard the Divas come in at 9.