Date: 2018-08-05
From: Pine Swamp Shelter

To: Riga Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early at pine swamp shelter but went back to bed until 6:30 am. I got up and packed up my sleeping bag, clothes, air mattress, and tent. I ate a bagel with ham and cheese. Butters and Too Sweet woke up and also slept in. I headed out in the trail.  There were a few climbs from the shelter but then it soon flattened out into the Housatonic river valley. Butters and Too Sweet caught up with me. Too Sweet asked me about the name Bagel + Biscuit. She was planning on opening a small breakfast place in her home town. She had a degree in accounting and could handle all the finances. We came to an area with a hydroelectric plant and a small building with a cold shower. I headed over to the building and took a shower in my hiking clothes. The cold water felt great as I cleaned up. Other hikers came over to use the shower. I walked over the iron bridge to the park on the other side with picnic tables. I started cooking macaroni and cheese. A guy came over and asked me how far I'd been hiking. He had done some trail maintenance on the AT. He asked me if I wanted anything. I mentioned a soda would be nice. I finished cooking my Mac and cheese and headed over to the other table. The group of people were from Ecuador. They were surprised to hear that I had been hiking for 4 months from Georgia. They asked me how I got food and how I didn't get lost in the forest. I spoke a little Spanish with them since some didn't speak English. They gave me a turkey sandwich and some ice cream. They headed over to the water fall and I said goodbye. I packed up and headed out.On the way out I ran into a huge waterfall which Falls Village is known for. There were many people swimming in the area. It looked refreshing but I decided to push on to pick up a package in Salisbury, CT. I hiked up a large mountain. Sweat was dripping off my elbows in the heat of the day. I arrived at the summit and ran into Tree Beard. He was laying against a tree relaxing. We headed down the amountain. At the bottom I ran into Pretzel who I hadn't seen since Devil's Backbone Brewery. We pushed onto Salisbury. In a field of ferns I felt a hot sting in the back of my leg. I didn't see what bit me. A hiker said he saw a wasp nest in the area. It must had been that. We passed the 1500 mile mark. We were over two thirds done. I went into Salisbury to pick up my package drop. Theresa had sent me homemade cookies. There were trail mix, Mexican cake, and a cookie bar. The cookie bar was amazing as well as all the other cookies. I ate the turkey sandwich from earlier then headed back to the trail.It was another 4 miles until the shelter. On the way I ran into Butters and Too Sweet. They were making dinner before they camped. I went a little further and saw Silver Bullet who hung out at the falls for most of the day swimming. I pushed on over the next mountain. It was steep and got my heart racing. At the top there were hundreds of dragon flies. They were buzzing around my head. I made it to the shelter around 8:30 pm. Everyone was cooking up food. Right in front of the shelter was a view of the valley below. Not many shelters have views but this one was amazing. I sat down to make mashed potatoes for dinner. The mosquitos were making a feast of our bodies as we ate. I thought about sleeping in the shelter but with this many mosquitos I setup my tent instead. Tree Beard read the next chapter of The Hobbit in the shelter. He made a deep ominous voice for Smaug the dragon as Bilbo entered his domain. He finished reading and it was time for bed.Tonight I'll be getting up early for the sunrise!