Date: 2017-09-29
From: Stealth Campsite beyond TN 91

To: Boots Off Hostel
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: mist

A broken tooth¢¦ darn.On the PCT my pack was a Gossamer Gear G5. It weighed 8 ounces. Yes, you read that right. But it had to be babied a bit. The pack¢s ¢End of Trail" photo showed patches galore.  When we thanked Glen van Peski, Gossamer Gear¢s founder and the Dean of ultralight gear, he said, ¢It¢s more a testament to you two that the packs made it."Two and a half years ago I found my new love, a Z Packs ¢Blast.¢ 17 ounces. Today the bloom may be off the rose, cuben fiber color faded, but that baby that was supposed to last one thru-hike has now nearly lasted two. She¢s looking pretty good for a gal who¢s got 5000 miles of hard wear. ¢Rode hard, and put away wet.¢She broke a tooth two days ago. On the chest strap buckle.  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...  I¢ve grown to love my chest strap. Three teeth hold it snug, and one broke. Are they teeth or, like a fork, are they tines? The outfitter in Damascus had half a dozen different sizes, but none as small as mine. So what did I do? I turned cannibal. The strap across the top of my pack is secured by the same size buckle. I got out my knife and cut. I ignored the lurid screams. Actually, no. There are two strap closures across the top, and I¢d just sacrificed one on the altar of ingenious thinking. Today, my chest strap is once again snug against my chest.Rain! Umbrella up! There was no rain in the forecast, but sometimes I think Mother Nature doesn¢t know how to read. If only the rain might quickly renew the dry springs and creekbeds. We remain water challenged here in northern Tennessee.  In fact, for almost the first time, when I meet a northbound hiker, trail conversations sound more like we are on the PCT ¢ ¢Where¢s the next water? Was so-and-so spring dry? Is there water at the shelter?¢And will someone tell me why there are no privies at Tennessee shelters? It¢s not that I use shelter privies that much; I¢m happy out in the woods. But I noticed a certain odor near the last shelter¢¦Nice trail tread today, largely trending down toward my day¢s destination, miles-long Wataugua Lake. But the last few miles along the lakeshore were maddening for me. I was expecting easy, but I got thrown back to Maine lakes instead. I know that a lake¢s shoreline is level, so why am I going up and down, up and down? I think I was just ready to get to the Boots Off Hostel a few miles too soon.¢Muscle Tough.¢ My sister retired today. Seventeen years leading high-level health programs for Santa Fe School District. I had coverage so I sent her a text. I¢m Jewish, so I wished her ¢Mazel Tov!¢  I dictated the message into the phone as I hiked. I had wished her ¢Muscle Tough¢ instead.I am grateful for every log that has been cleared from across the trail. But here's one that put an extra-big smile on my face.  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...Above is the hiker shower at Boots Off Hostel. The hot and cold water go into the bucket, where they sort of mix together before draining down on you. Pretty cool.This evening starts Yom Kippur. Normally I¢d be in services this evening and most of the day tomorrow. I would fast and I would sing in the choir. In 2007 on our PCT hike we fasted. And hiked. More on that tomorrow. Tonight I wish you Muscle Tough.