Miles: 1172.5 | A strong morning climb and unexpected trail magic help reset my mindset as I consciously choose optimism and recommit to hiking for myself. The miles flow more easily, the final climb feels rewarding instead of draining, and camp is peaceful — until curious deer circle our tents deep into the night, breaking the calm and leaving sleep hard to come by.
I got up at 6am and woke Miles up. We slowly got ready for the day and walked fast once we got going. We climbed up to some power lines first thing in the morning and saw a great view.
There we met a woman who was out running for the day. She told us she really wanted to do the trail someday but that she had kids and she didn't think it would happen.
We talked to her for a while about the possibilities. We were always trying to encourage people we meet that express interest to get out. It's important to get out and do the things you always wished you could do. Especially an experience as life changing and strengthening as the trail.
We continued on down the trail. Up and over hills we cruised for a few hours. We ran into Crazy Brit and D-Squared later in the day! I hadn't seen them in a good while. I think not since early Virginia maybe!
It was good to see them. They were always hilarious to run into. Conversations with them were like a little circus of crisscrossed excitement. Shortly after we ran into them we all walked up on some trail magic. Someone who had thru-hiked previously and his dad brought their grill out to feed us. They gave us hot dogs and Little Debbie snacks. We didn't stay for long, though, because we were one such a roll.
I turned my mood around. I was determined to stay out here and to find joys and things in the experience to love. I realized I wanted needed to make this experience more positive. I wanted to be a more positive person on trail and when I got home. I wanted to find the joys in camping and transience. I knew I could get used to it.
I wanted to see all of the amazing things I could gain from being out here and experiencing all of this. I wanted to absorb all of the happiness and goodness I could from Miles. Walking together was what kept me going at this time and I'm glad it did. But I also knew I couldn't rely on that. I needed to be out here for me. But it was a start.
I spent the whole day working on being more positive very consciously. It ended up being a good day!
When 16 miles rolled around we were tired. We did a longer, steady climb up out of a gap at the end of the day. I used all of the last of my energy on the climb but for once it felt good rather than exasperating. The steady climb felt good and it gave me this rush of endorphins. We stopped and got water on our way up the climb at a stream. The water was yellow, as was most water in Pennsylvania. After a bit of walking we came across a campsite that was a good ways off trail in a pine grove. The spots were relatively flat and the ground was covered in soft pine needles.
We set up and I made dinner in my skillet.
Shortly before dusk, a deer approached our camp from behind Miles' tent. She sniffed around and stared us down. She got very close to camp. We yelled and made noise and she eventually moved out. From the other side of camp, near my tent, about ten minutes later, another doe approached camp.
She got very close to my tent. We couldn't figure out why they were so close to us. They circled camp for a while. After some circling, it seemed like they were going to leave us alone. We went to sleep.
Late in the evening, sometime after midnight, they came back. They circled us and got very close. One was so close she could have licked my tent if she wanted. My headlamp and yelling didn't scare them but clanking our cook pots together did. In the distance I heard a high pitched winny/squeal type sound. It sounded just like the baby we had heard in Shenandoah. When the does heard the sound in the distance they left. I didn't get much sleep that night.