Date: 2015-06-29
From: Etna

To: Smarts Mountain
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I left the cottage at about 6.40, and joined the family in the house proper for breakfast. After some cereal and tea, I was dropped off at the trailhead by 8am. I didn't finish hiking until 5.30, despite the shorter miles. It was a long day. It started with the typical muddy and flooded trail. The first half of the day was climbing two mountains from top to bottom, but at least they were small mountains. At the top of Moose Mountain, I ran into a couple of day hikers who immediately put their dog on a lead (before I had to ask!). The women were excited to see me, one of them asked to take a photo. Apparently I'm their first thru hiker (I think of the year). I let her take the photo. She told me that I looked very clean for a thru hiker, which is true. It helps that I don't have a beard to tame. I stopped for lunch a bit later, after another climb. I sat at Holts Ledge with Red Swagger and enjoyed the view (and the food). The clouds from the previous mountain had finally cleared.Then it was a hike down, and I saw a sign to Bob Ackerely's house. It was a pretty funny sign that informed me about his free water and free ice creams. I was sold. I stopped in and got a free ice cream, and then I stayed for about 15 minutes. Three times today, people told me that the weather was going to be nicer today after yesterdays rain. Three times today, people lied. The morning started off foggy and cloudy, but cleared up. There were even brief moments of sun. But as I left Bobs house, it started to drizzle just enough to make the trail slick. I fell over onto my right side. It eased off but returned twice as I was climbing Smarts mountain. It was bad enough that I had to get my coat. Of course as soon as the rain stopped, I got way too hot and had to take it off again. It rained again after I had spent what felt like a lifetime climbing Smarts mountain. There are a lot of rocky sections that were wet and slippery, so I had to be careful. The wet leaves were also growing onto the trail, so I got drenched just from brushing against a lot of those. The rain poured as I started the last leg of the mountain. It soaked my shorts but I didn't bother with my rain trousers. My pack periodically dripped cold rain down the back of my legs and straight into my socks. I made my way to the fire cabin. Thankfully, it's big because it's got a few people in it. No one likes to be out in the rain, especially at 3,000 ft.I made my dinner about 6, and had to do it twice since I didn't make enough pasta the first time. Instant mash is so much easier than angel hair pasta. Admittedly, it seems like the pasta has a bit more substance than the mash- though actually less filling over all. I'm still annoyed about how bad that coop was for a resupply. Also, when I was at Bobs, a SOBO told me to get water before I started climbing Smarts because there isn't any at the top. I did, and carried an extra couple litres four miles up a mountain. And of course it rained, so the mountain had water coming from everywhere. I didn't need to carry the water up, I could have just held my pot outside the shelter. Tomorrow it's about 20 miles to a hostel. I'm thinking about going to the hostel so I can slackpack the first day of the Whites. I think I have definitely earned it by now. I really hope that the rain will have stopped by then, otherwise I think it will be impossible.