Project Eveningland

5/25/2023 Thursday

Perhaps that tent spot last night wasn’t as level as it looked. My phone lost 30% charge while off overnight. It wasn’t that cold, what gives?

I talked with Bean and Bird in the morning. They’re a fresh young couple in their early 20s. Bird looks like a thinner, non-awful Kirk Cameron.

I am having some troubles with coarse old men who have poor social skills. They are a dime a dozen on the AT. There’re lots of nice folks of all ages and genders on the trail. But also lots of coarse old men with poor social skills.

The first half of the day was supremely gentle forest walking. I disturbed a group of four small, bright-yellow-and-black birds at a mountaintop clearing. In these low forests, the enormous tulip poplars sway gently. The cool, breezy morning weather meant few bugs.

I reached Rod Hollow shelter just before noon and got to work stretching and filtering water and eating. There’s a picnic table with its own roof—many of the shelters in this area have them.

I reached “the roller coaster”—a 14-mile stretch with lots of ups and downs (imagine that!) with a fun sign to mark its beginning—just after lunch. “Enjoy your ride,” the sign says. The first 8.8 miles of the day had flown. The 6.9 miles that followed were slow and rocky and occasionally steep, but otherwise unremarkable. I wonder if I would have noticed the section at all if it didn’t have a catchy name.

There was trail magic at Morgan’s Mill Road. I couldn’t really partake. It was mostly soda and it’s just too sugary. It’ll jack my blood sugar then send it plummeting. There were some potato chips. I really didn’t want to be around another hiker who was there, to tell you the truth. So, yeah, another one of those. I hiked on without so much as taking off my pack.

Fifteen minutes after leaving the parking lot where the free food/soda was, I crossed the 1000 mile marker! I took a super goofy picture and then said to myself, laughing, “that’s the one.” A bit anti-climactic. I promise I’ll try to get worked up for the halfway point, in another 100 miles. For now I’m just too tired.

I’m camped at Sam Moore shelter area tonight.