Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 17 – Hiking to exhaustion
12th August 2023
Little Swift River Pond Campsite (225.4) - Stealth Site at view point (246.4)
Daily miles: 21
Total miles: 252.7
Waking up in the mornings not so puffy
It was much warmer last night than the night before. I woke up really, disoriented after having arrived in the dark, I had no idea where the trail was. I got up because I needed to find the privy and I asked someone camping next to me and he oriented me around the campsite.
I got some nice water from a spring next to the pond which I was glad was there because pond water generally isn’t great.
Little Swift River Pond
Obsessed with Fudge Brownie M&Ms
There is a log book in the privy so that was nice to read while having a poo, but kinda gross if you think about how many other people have done the same thing!
The trail register in the privy
We had a big day lined up, which should have been achievable but what I hadn’t planned for is how wet, muddy and boggy the trail would be and just how much that wound slow things down.
I left camp at 06:45 to get a head start because I knew I would need it. The trail was instantly a boggy muddy mess and it was slow going, not because I was trying to keep my feet dry - I gave up on that straight away - but you had to be a bit careful because you didn’t know how deep the bogs were and a lot of the bog boards were submerged anyway.
A nice but wet trail
Precariously positioned bog logs
I slipped off one and my leg went right in up to my knee, luckily the other foot was still on the board otherwise I would have been in trouble! It took me about 5 goes to heave my leg out of the suction of the bog.
I slipped off this bog board
I am pretty sure this is a Grouse
One very wet leg
I hiked on and came across 2 ladies hiking south as part of a flip flop. Georgia and GMG (Green Mountain Goddess) they told me I was a fast hiker and I suppose I am compared to them, but I’m not fast compared to a fast hiker.
I hiked on and on and on and it never got any easier. I hiked until I had done 7 miles and decided to take a break and have some food. I had been so thirsty today, I had already stopped and got water twice, so I had drunk 3x 700ml bottles which is more than I normally drink in a whole day.
Sabbath Day pond
Steep trail
The ancient mossy forest
A lot of this situation today
Rotting bog boards
Stopping to snack on crisps (potato chips) and string cheese
I was sure Cal was going to pass me at some point and he did just before 12pm when we came to a road crossing. As it was a Saturday I was hoping there might be trail magic but no luck.
A road crossing with a view
We hiked down to the river together, which was a longer downhill than we were expecting, and we both waded across in our shoes because they we so wet and muddy anyway it was actually nice to get them clean. We met another SOBO there called No Rush and he was talking it nice and easy. Cal stayed by the river to take a break and I carried on because there was a big climb up to Bemis mountain second peak.
Crossing Bemis stream
It got hot and it was a difficult climb made more difficult by the heat. I ran out of water half way so got some from a puddle. I don’t know why I am drinking so much water today but I also know that I am sweating more than I have all trail.
I made my way up ever so slowly; stopping to eat a few blueberries on the way and talk to a few northbounders. Today I probably saw the most northbounders I have seen in a day but they were all very spread out.
This is the puddle I filled my water bottles from
I said out loud “OH MAN” at one point just as a day hiker came around a corner. I apologised and said I was just having a moment. He was quite an attractive man but when he told me I “had a long way to go yet” he became instantly less attractive. I knew I still had a long way to go.
It was really nice walking on slab for a while because it wasn’t mud. Then the trail went along a bit of a ridge that went up and down through the tree, and then up again to Bemis Mountain which is covered in trees so I went by it without noticing it was the peak.
After a bit more of a descent and more ups and downs and I was getting really tired now; I had been going non stop and I was really feeling it.
A slab rock walk
The AT logo
Bemis Mountain second Peak
All day had been a battle of not sinking in bogs, not slipping on rocks and not tripping on tree roots. I had failed on all accounts multiple times, and now I was getting tired and making worse moves. I slipped and landed on my bum twice, I tripped on many roots and my feet were so wet and soggy and muddy.
I came to a stream where they were some nice looking campsites but it was 6pm so I thought I should keep going. No sign of Cal yet.
I had now committed to the climb up to Old Blue Mountain, not a long climb but I was seriously lacking in energy. I had to stop half way up and stuff in 2 mini Milky Way bars (which are American Mars Bars). When I got to the top there was a big flat area, I considered camping there but it was pretty windy.
Some beautiful parts of the trail
Cheeky views
Losing light fast
Old Blue mountain
So I started the descent which I immediately regretted. It was steep rock slab and wet and muddy. Some of the rocks had bars on but they really aren’t that helpful if you’re going south. I was getting really tired and it was starting to get dark.
Some helpful rebar
Sunset
I saw a flatish bit in the forest at about 8pm and I decided to stop there before it was completely dark to set up my tent. About 30 seconds after I arrive at that spot Cal appears. I told him I wanted to camp and he said he was more than ready to camp too, but there wasn’t really room for both of us there so we carried on another 1.3 miles to the viewpoint where the comments in far out suggested there were some camp spots.
It was time to get the head torches out as it was very dark now. It was strangely mild and I was getting a sweat on as we moved, it was dripping off my face.
The last mile took forever, and it was so hard to look for camp spots in the dark and concentrate on the trail. I slipped down a rock and I had pain in my ankle with every step, I feared the worst but as I walked it out the pain went away.
We carried on until we discovered we had just passed the viewpoint so we poked around it the woods and found a couple of places that were less than ideal, but they would have to do because I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, go any further.
I squashed down some plants and got pitched up as quick as possible so I could get rid of all the bugs flying round my head torch.
Setting up camp in the dark
I didn’t eat any dinner because I didn’t have the energy. I’m lying here now and my legs and feet are throbbing so badly. I took a painkiller but it hasn’t touched it. The soles of my feet are in so much pain.
Wet feet once again!
It’s warm tonight. I’m sleeping without my fleece which makes a change from every other night when I’ve woken up sweating because I’m too hot! It’s nearly 22:30 - way past my bedtime!
