Miles: 828.5 | A slow, rain-soaked morning turns into a surprisingly gentle day after sleeping in and waiting out the worst of the storm. Misty miles, quiet conversation, and a surprise reunion with Nomad soften the climb toward The Priest. Shelter etiquette disappoints, sending us downhill to pitch tents instead, where dinner, chess, and shared laughter restore some calm. Even with soaked gear and another hard rain overnight, the day holds steady—grounded by companionship, warm food, and the relief of simply making it through.
We woke up at 5am to pouring rain. We didn’t want to get out of bed. The man who had come in late got up and packed loudly. We went back to sleep.... til 11am. I got up around 10 and stretched and read my book while Miles kept sleeping. I took my pack down from where it was hanging. My pack cover apparently had a hole in it and my whole pack was soaked. Thankfully, everything that needed to stay dry (my quilt and clothes) did. I rung out as much of it as I could and packed up. I ate breakfast slowly.
By the time we left the rain had calmed down. It was misty and chilly. We walked together all day and told each other stories. On the way to our destination we saw Nomad! We hadn’t seen him in a while!
When we arrived in the rain to the Priest Shelter to some weekend hikers who had hung their hammock inside the shelter because they didn’t bring a rain tarp. Terrible etiquette. We tried to hint that there was plenty of room in the 8 person shelter that 4 people were in for us but no one budged. Miles asked one, “Are you a thru-hiker?” And he replied, “Yeah, for today...” very sarcastically. We weren’t impressed. The shelter log was pretty funny, though. Thru-Hikers know how to joke around.
We walked down the hill and set up our tents. We ate dinner and played chess in Miles’ tent. Eventually I moved our packs into my tent and went back to Miles’ tent to go to bed. In all of the shuffle I had, apparently, forgotten to close my tent door.... It poured hard that night. My stuff got soaked. Miles’ stuff was on the side that was mostly covered so his stuff was dry. My pack and clothes were soaked.
1. Good afternoon
2. Miles
3. Mountain House