Project Eveningland

4/16/2023 Sunday

I knew there was weather coming. When the AT broke my body in 2021, the healed injury left me with an “old” foot that can sense bad weather, or so I tell myself. The light throbbing I felt this morning and a bit in the afternoon had me worried that we were in for a downpour.

But it turned into a gorgeous day with only brief periods of light rain. Maybe it was the cold front headed our way that bothered me?

I asked for “a small amount of eggs” with my breakfast at Weary Feet—I prefer to eat things in small quantities. I find this more appetizing than a big ol’ heap that I feel like I have to plow through. I am an outlier on trail in this regard.

The walk today was strikingly different from the ridge fare we are used to, though we did eventually end up on a ridge. We spent a long time hiking through rhododendron tunnels alongside a broad, rushing creek. I skipped Dismal Falls—again. So did Wedge, to my surprise. It’s not the name; that made it harder to forgo.

We hiked in proximity for most of the first half of the day. I passed Wedge and another hiker who was chatting him up about eating vegetarian on trail. Later he asked me about being an introvert, and seemed genuinely curious about how I go about “recharging” between social encounters and why I sometimes “protect” my social energy. It’s not a scarcity mindset; it’s more like I can only engage so much with people and the world before I need a break. I have to be able to self-regulate so I can be there for other people—to listen, to help, to be kind and patient.

We stopped at Wapiti shelter for lunch. I left my salami and cheese in the fridge back at Weary Feet! Gosh darnit! I made PB&J instead with a side of nuts and any number of other odd items. We were joined by Blackbeard and Serendipity, who had wanted to swim in the water beneath Dismal Falls but decided it would be too cold.

I’ve been clucking at Wedge (like a mother hen) all day about drinking more water. He says he drank a ton at the hostel, which I’m sure he did. I am determined to get my hydration right in the warmer weather.

After lunch came a ~three-mile climb with about 1500 feet of elevation gain. Everybody at lunch seemed to be dreading it. We were careful to wait to fill up our water at the last water source, the highest one up the hill, so that we wouldn’t have to carry much. We might have done better to hit the second-to-last source because the top one was only barely flowing.

There was a major milestone today: the 1000km mark. Now I personally take some issue with the metric system. It is unnervingly rational and makes unit conversions dangerously easy for young minds. The United States customary system, like the imperial system on which it was built, is a tangled web of stinky nonsense. It creates all manner of opportunities for error. So comforting! I will fight to the death to preserve it.

We are staying in a glamping tent with two beds in it. We’re at Woods Hole, a hostel with a name that made me expect a shithole. It’s a very nice place! (see pics below). We had a delicious vegetarian meal. The bread and butter were something special. The canvas “safari” tent smells like the camping trips of my childhood and, um, colonialism I guess?

Wedge said the vegetarian meal they served had been special for him. He got to partake in every dish for once.

The heavy, sheeting rains came after dinner and made our tent a profoundly cozy space. Then thunder took it to the next level. The sunset had an odd glow through the rain clouds.

We have a short day tomorrow. Virginia is gentler, but it’s got some rocky ridges. It is good training for what lies ahead.