Project Eveningland

3/27/2023 Monday

I ate a bratwurst late last night for “fourth meal” but still woke up around six in the morning with a stomach so empty it hurt.

Mom and Dad and I were all a little crabby in the morning. I guess the mountain air made us all furious for some reason. Rains came. They drove me back to the trailhead at 19E.

Gentle rains continued for the first few miles. I used my umbrella instead of putting on rain gear. I’d been determined to approach this section, which is full of some difficult memories, with a positive attitude. It still bummed me out. I felt unplaceable dread all through the first half of the day. Maybe it’s also some letdown from Mom and Dad leaving.

My parents accidentally took my battery bank and charging cables, so I am writing this from a phone with low battery and no way to charge. It will be a short entry. Tomorrow I’ll walk to Black Bear Resort and find a way to recharge my phone there. This may complicate my plans for the next few days. I’ll need to get replacements as soon as possible.

Today was extremely quiet. The landscape was all ridge and rhododendron after the green valleys of the first few miles. I reached the 400 mile point, where a marker that was there two years ago (a “400” painted on a tree) had been sanded away. The privilege of mile-markers has been revoked!.

The weather did not feel like March; it felt more like May. A sunny, lazy afternoon. I reached a viewing spot which afforded full views of Little Hump and Big Hump.

I’m camped alone for the first time on this hike. At mile 411! It’s odd that I haven’t been by myself at night before now. I discovered my missing gear just as I was sitting down to dinner. Shit. I felt panicky but it’s not a big deal. I’ll tackle the problem in the morning.