Date: 2014-06-25
From: Kay Wood Shelter

To: Mark Noepel Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: moderate rain

It's been very cool in the mornings of late. Odd for being June and for someone from Texas. This morning was warm. I've learned this cycle now. That means rain today and it'll be humid. Glad it's a shorter day. The forecast shows heavy rain overnight so most of us are up early to make sure we get there. Plus there are some serious diversions today - food and lots of it. Rarely the trail runs right through a city. Today it happens twice! And it's timed perfect for second breakfast and a lateish lunch. Ate my normal cherry pop tarts and packed up. Dalton is only three miles away and cruised on in right on time for coffee and juice and a breakfast burrito at a little coffee shop. Plus time to charge my phone. I've been craving a breakfast taco. This seems to be a Texas specialty. I think I'd make a fortune if I opened up a shop here. Breakfast burritos and wraps or whatever they want to call them here just aren't the same. Similar ingredients but just lacking. Not sure why. Probably the same as trying to make clam chowder in the South or something. But it was calories and I felt good so let's move on. Of note though sometimes things do not time themselves well and I missed an opportunity for a little trail magic from Hannah, a fan (I have a fan!) of my journal who had offered to shuttle me if I needed or more importantly buy me a beer in Dalton. Bummer. But to any hikers behind me she's doing some magic on Mt Everett Saturday and it sounds well worth it!So now the lowlight for the day. I have kicked probably ten or fifteen roots or rocks a day since I've started. So have most other hikers. There's a little system to it. You do a double step and catch yourself with your poles. I've rarely ever actually fallen. And never from a root always from sliding off a wet rock. Today on a very easy part of the trail, I actually caught my foot under a root and my poles were too far in the ground to pull them out. I don't think I've done a face plant since I was a kid but this was a full on straight down on my face plant. My hands were in my pole holds and couldn't use them to catch myself. I saw that rock come towards my face at breakneck speed and in that half second I thought this is it, I'm breaking my nose and am going to look like a boxer. I hit the ground on this nice soft bed of pine needles and not sure how it happened but managed to hit the rock just hard enough to feel my nose all pushed in and my teeth pressed against my upper lip but it didn't hurt bad. And thought if this is what it feels like to break your nose it's not so bad. Felt like I had run into a door. I made an audible ooofff sound. Got up and immediately felt my nose and it seemed just fine. Wow! Brushed off the dirt from my knees and belly and could feel I was pumped full of adrenaline so I used it to my advantage to move. About a half hour later I could feel it go away and all the random pulls and strains and aches appeared. I jacked up my thumb on one hand and finger on another. My right hip hurts and now my nose aches. Fun. At least nothing is broken. Well there are more important things today and that is a place called Diane's Twist in the next town, Cheshire. Got there right around one and there's a big 'open' flag fluttering in the breeze. It's clear something is going to move in today. It's not too hot but humid as H E double hockey sticks. Diane's was perfect. Got a double thick turkey sandwich on rye with pickle and chips and an orange Fanta. Now there's another food item, the Fanta, that I'd never order anywhere but I just crave it. Maybe I'm pregnant. Grasshopper and Topo showed up and got a sundae and pasta salad respectively. Can't leave without ice cream so I got a sundae with mocha and gummy bears. She also let us fill up our water bottles from the spigot and directed us to the trail head. Great lady. Only two hours to the shelter and it's all uphill and sticky! Just outside of town there's a cooler! Trail magic. This from Spice Kits family. Sodas cookies and watermelon. And still all cold. I haven't been stuffed in a long time but I was stuffed. Rest of the uphill was pretty average if not overly steep and as usual one mile too many but we made it to the nice shelter by 4:30 before any rain. Good timing for once. There's a camp group here but it's a ok. Also met Swiss Miss and Matterhorn from you guessed it Switzerland. They started several weeks after me so are making great time. Poor Europeans and their expiring visas. Tomorrow is a short nine miles up and over Greylock and into town with a pick up by Karl and then maybe a zero. Tonite is supposed to be thunderstorms. Finally the timing is right.