Project Eveningland

7/2/2023 Sunday

If I didn’t think these rocks would abate soon, I would quit this godsdamn trail right now. The rains came before I woke up this morning. Took me extra time to break down and head to the shelter for breakfast.

7/1/2023 Saturday

The bunks in the thru-hiker cabin at Mohican aren’t just narrow; they are also short. Are these child-sized mattresses?! I am a full grown man!

6/30/2023 Friday

I nibbled my morning protein bar and sipped half-frozen water in the morning light of my fourth-floor room. Time to walk into New Jersey.

6/29/2023 Thursday

I’ve been studying up on the miles ahead and things look saner than they’ve been. I’ve been wanting to speculate on the linguistic and psychological aspects of “Rocksylvania” but thought it best to wait until the end.

6/28/2023 Wednesday

Rooster and Apollo drove me back to Wind Gap, where I resumed my walk from mile 1281 or so. What will my last day of Rocksylvania be like?

6/27/2023 Tuesday

I waited until the morning to look at the forecast and decide what to do. If the rain is being measured in inches, and I can avoid it, I will. So I will.

6/26/2023 Monday

The morning forecast calls for 2-4 inches of rain today and tonight. Yikes. I am gonna take a rest day here, at my little Danielsville bungalow, and spend as much of it as possible in bed. Deep rest. Deep rest with good outcomes.

6/25/2023 Sunday

There was no rooster call in the morning, but if there had been I would have been awake for it. I packed in the dark, clean, cool air of my little basement getaway. God I love the polished brick flooring in the hallway. I changed my plans at the last minute.

6/24/2023 Saturday

Just after I woke this morning to pee, a torrential rain arrived. It’s hitting the tent hard enough to cause tiny droplets of condensation to dislodge from the underside of the rainfly and fall inside the tent. You can feel the droplets on bare skin but they are too small to see.

6/23/2023 Friday

We had one final strange breakfast at our B&B—French toast and hot dogs—then hit the road. There’s rain in the forecast for the next week or so. Rain and rocks are an interesting combination.

6/17/2023 Saturday

This tiny rental has a Lee Harvey Oswald aftertaste. It’s neat and clean and there’s some fun decor but also glumness. I got a late start today.

6/16/2023 Friday

I picked a great day to rest—rain and tornado watches/warnings all over the state according to the TV in the laundromat, where I am enjoying a comforting slice of normal life.

6/15/2023 Thursday

What a pleasant sleep. Temps were cool in the morning and I got up early to eat breakfast, then went back to bed (in the tent) for 90 minutes. I had great cell service and treated myself to reading the news with breakfast.

6/14/2023 Wednesday

What do you do when it rains all day? Do you hike through it? Find somewhere dry and take the day off? Try to dodge it by sheltering during the wettest parts of the day?

6/13/2023 Tuesday

I don’t know when the rains ceased but they had long passed by the time I woke at 4AM. My tent had nearly dried in the morning breeze. That privy though.

6/12/2023 Monday

Despite the threatening forecast and sky, no rain came overnight. We were out hiking by 7:30—Neil is an early bird. How far can we get before the storm?

6/11/2023 Sunday

When there’s heat coming—and there was—at least the morning temps are comfortable and not too cold. That’s the bright side. That’s all there is folks.

6/10/2023 Saturday

Neil and I grabbed breakfast at a cash only place across the street, Goodies. Great breakfast sandwiches, small town diner feel. We walked back to Kinda Outdoorsy and packed up. My food bag is too heavy.