Miles: 1550.8 | A crisp 5 a.m. start pays off with smooth terrain, golden morning light, and an unexpectedly fast 16 miles into Lee. Early momentum carries us all the way to a joyful family reunion as Aunt Missi and cousin Christopher whisk us home for showers, laundry, cold Gatorades, and a much-needed reset. Steak dinners, pets to cuddle, and real beds restore more than just our bodies. A late-night gear decision looms, but for now, comfort, gratitude, and family take center stage in Massachusetts.
My alarm went off at 5am. I groaned and got up. The foam sleeping pad had been easier and more convenient than my blow up one, but it was not nearly as comfortable. I actually had to check before I set up my tent to make sure there weren't any rocks, sticks, or roots under where my sleeping pad would lie. It was also a bit bulky on the outside of my pack.
The only pros of it were: price (1/3 the price of my inflatable pad), convenience, and it was no fail. I got up with my alarm, no snooze, and packed up quickly. I ate breakfast while I waited for Miles and we set out together in the chilly morning air. The sun was just coming up and it felt like I was waking up with the world. The morning rays were so beautiful as they angled their ways through the green summer leaves.
We walked quickly through the simple terrain toward Lee. We passed a few other hikers but none we knew and stopped for few breaks. Our breaks were much further apart. Perhaps it was the easier terrain, or maybe it was because we had gotten such good momentum from waking up early.
Every time I got up early I thought, "Wow I should really do this more often!" but I never considered myself much of a morning person. The thing is I love the early morning, but I didn't like forcing myself to get up at the most comfortable part of my sleep cycle. I also observed on this day that if I got up early every day it wouldn't be as beautiful. So I soaked in graceful morning light as we walked.
We arrived at the parking lot early than we anticipated and relaxed in the shade of a nearby tree for a bit while we waited for my aunt. We had made it two hours early than planned and I was happy with our quick 16 miles.
Aunt Missi arrived with my cousin Christopher. Chris was driving his very own car. I hadn't seen him much since before he got his driver's license. He had really grown up! Now he was practically an adult!
We piled our packs in the car and drove to their house with the windows down. Aunt Missi told us that my mom had warned her about the smell of thru-hikers. We all laughed. It was true, anyone smells bad after multiple days of exercise without showering.
Aunt Missi handed us a lunch box with cold Gatorades and watermelon slices! So refreshing. When we arrived at their house they set us up in the living room. We made a bed for Miles and I took the couch. Us hikers showered and Aunt Missi showed us how to do the laundry.
While we went through our packs, Chris came and hung out with us in the living room. He brought Ruby, their dog, and Patches, their cat. It was crazy how much Chris had grown up. Since my first year of college, I'd gotten so busy with school or work or my own problems that I fell out of touch with most of my extended family.
It was good to be able to catch up with them. I had missed a lot in the past five years. I was so happy that they had a little black cat called Patches. He was a sweetheart and let me pat him and hold him all I wanted. I missed my cats so much and he reminded me a lot of Clyde.
Aunt Missi grilled us up some steaks, steamed some corn, and potatoes. We devoured the whole home cooked meal out on their new patio.
Aunt Missi even got me some great beer and we shared a couple of drinks. After dinner, we hung out with Christopher some more. He talked about how badly he wanted to go backpacking, how cool he thought our journey was.
Miles and I turned in for the night soon after that. I had a hard time sleeping, though. I needed to decide whether I'd be bringing my inflatable sleeping pad with me or sending it home and using this foam pad for the rest of my trip. I knew the foam was more reliable, but after a few days of little sleep I couldn't bear to part with my inflatable mattress. Maybe I could patch the hole. I looked up online, since I finally had service, to see if this whole partial deflation was a common problem.
I found some forum results. Every entry said that their Therm-a-Rest inflatable pad deflated over night during colder weather. They all said that they noticed a difference when the temperatures dropped during the night. Some people said up to 40% deflation was completely normal. I decided I would try to stick with it. I only noticed it deflate less than 40%.
Aunt Missi offered to mail home my foam pad for now. I went to sleep after this and cuddled with Patches, the cat, for most of the night.