Miles: 1490.8 | A gentler day begins as my heart finally slows and the trail offers five blissfully flat miles along a river and logging roads. Podcasts, friendly waves from locals, and shaded walking bring some physical relief, even as homesickness creeps in mentally. A rare, cold piped spring lifts my spirits, followed by an unexpected and meaningful lunch with Echo—another thru-hiker walking in honor of Earl Shaffer. We end the day at pine-shaded campsites near another spring, making cautious plans for a café breakfast ahead, while rain, cooling air, and a deflating sleeping pad remind me that recovery is still a work in progress.
I woke up foggy. My chest was still hurting but my heart beat had slowed considerably (see my last post to read about how I over-trained myself). We started off walking separately to listen to podcasts.
I walked along a river and a logging road for a while on this day. The terrain was flat for a full five miles. It was amazing and so relieving. I saw a few people walking their dogs, they waved with a friendly smile. As I walked I listened to Radiolab and learned all sorts of new things. For some reason, though, I felt lonely. I felt homesick.
I had been walking for almost six months now and I had originally planned to only be gone for a maximum of six months. I was no where close to being finished, either.
I was mad at myself. Over and over I felt homesick. I didn't want to quit. But I wanted to go home for a few days. I wanted to rest and recover and have running water that I didn't have to filter. I wanted a real bed that didn't deflate in the night. Regardless, I tried not to dwell on these feelings. I kept walking and tried to focus on my podcasts.
Where the AT turned away from the river I stopped to eat lunch by the only water source listed for the day: a spring! A beautiful piped spring! Clear, cold water. Not yellow and not dried up! I never thought I'd get so excited about some water coming out of the ground.
At the spring I met a girl called Echo. We found we followed each other on Instagram already! She is hiking to commemorate her uncle Earl Shaffer (the first thru-hiker ever of the AT). We sat and talked over lunch. I finished my Chinese food from Kent and a chocolate bar.
I left her to head up the hill and catch up with Miles. We met up and decided to walk together to camp. There were some lovely pine shaded campsites after a view and we decided to stop there. Another spring was nearby and we got water from its almost still pool. It was clear and good, but difficult to gather.
Looking at the map, Miles and I decided we would stop at a Cafe for breakfast in the morning on our way to Salisbury, CT. It was only a quarter mile off of the AT where it walked through a small village near Canaan, CT.
As the sun started going down a rain storm moved in. In the downpour the air got colder. I still hadn't figured out the issue with my sleeping pad. It deflated a good amount again this night. Nervous, I ordered a foam Therm-A-Rest SOL pad just in case. It was a no fail solution if I needed it. I got it sent to the post office in Great Barrington, MA, our next overnight stop.