Date: 2004-04-24
From: Kincorra Hostel

To: Pond Flats Campsite
Miles today: 5.7

I had my first real and complete breakdown this morning. I¢ve been waiting since Rainbow Springs for Kincorra for a new pack, putting up with excruciating and unbearable pain, probably unwisely, probably screwing up my back forever, because Fuman, the winter thruhiker SOBO had told me I could trade out my pack there for free. I put off the decision till this morning, when Bob the hostel guy, brought up a Mountain Smith and a Lowe Alpine Fuman had told me he had left a Lowe Alpine that might actually work for me, so I think it¢s his old pack. It looks used too¢there are old buckles cut off and stuff. But, for some reason that I still don¢t understand, everyone had to wait for me to make this decision before leaving. And these decisions stress me out anyway, and I wasn¢t sure either pack, or my old one would work, and I absolutely melted down sitting in the corner crying melting down. Only Mom saw me¢it might have been because I had someone else to pick up the slack that I let myself go like that, but it¢s definitely the worst I¢ve been. Everyone knew something was wrong, and Bob was really sweet¢he sent everyone on and my mom into Damascus, which gave me the whole morning to figure everything out.   Snowman was a lifesaver¢we went through both packs methodically, decided the Mountain Smith pack was too small, and adjusted the Lowe Alpine to it¢s longest setting, where it fits. The only problem with it is that it doesn¢t have room for water bottles, period. Mom and I will make do till Damascus, then I¢ll succumb and get a Platypus. So we took off in the early afternoon, a much later start than anticipated, but still sufficient. The new pack feels great and is probably Fuman¢s old one which is fantastic, but I¢m still having residual shoulder pain. It was a beautiful day, and great to be on the trail with MOM. I let her lead, meaning we got lost three times¢only once for real, when I looked up and said, ¢Why is there a blue blaze? We had to retrace maybe a third of a mile, the first time. I¢ve lost the white blaze. Plus, my mom fell in the first two miles and bloodied her knees, and then became dehydrated going up this very bad two-mile 2000-foot climb. Everyone had warned us about it, and we hadn¢t ignored them, but we really wanted to experience it.She always kept her spirits up, but I was a little worried. We were nearly out of water, and there was a spring at the top of the mountain, according to the databook, but you never know. Thunderclouds were also threatening. Plus, she was carrying our full six-pound, two-person tent, and a ton of food. So we got to the top of the mountain, found a beautiful campsite, but no spring, until about two-tenths of a mile later. We debated¢we had done under six miles, but mom was still feeling nauseated, it was going to rain, and it was three miles down the mountain to the next campsite. So, we went back to the campsite and camped¢I pitched the ten, rainproof, in a good five minutes, and we chucked our stuff inside just as it started to pour. The problem now was cooking¢this guy, Silver had made me a pot stand to work with the alcohol stove I had been carrying, and I convinced my mom that I could cook under the vestibule. Unfortunately, the stove turned into a fireball set our ground cloth on fire, and we had t shove it out into the rain emptying two ounces of precious alcohol in the process. We started again, using my old tried and true stove that takes nine minutes to boil, and emptied a mac and cheese only to discover that my mom had it had in her cupboard for two years had bugs in it. Alive bugs, and tons of eggs. They floated around in our boiling water for a while before we gave up on cooking and ate bagels.An eventful day, but a good day.