Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 2 - Stumble and fall
28th July 2023
Katahdin Stream Campground - Hurd Brook Lean-to (mile 18.6)
Daily miles: 13.5
Total miles: 23.9
The fluffy socks lasted about 40 seconds inside my sleeping bag before I kicked them off. I was asleep pretty quickly, not as quick as Kevin though who started snoring immediately! I put my new ear plugs in and they worked like a dream; I slept through until 5am, dozed until 05:30 when others started getting up and going to the loo. I was too dehydrated to need to go to the loo.
I drifted on and off. I wasn’t in a hurry today, I could have set off earlier and got the miles in, but I was conscious of yesterday where I had ripped up all of my muscles and I didn’t want to push too hard too soon and injure myself. I didn’t enter this trail super fit and ready to hit 20s straight away.
A colourful morning in the shelter
Everything that got wet yesterday was still very wet. I could ring out my socks and shorts and I had to put those clothes on. I left it as long as possible, so I went to see the ranger to get my permit in my jumper and underpants, she didn’t care.
When she asked me my trail name, she said she was given the name Two Puffs because she was carrying two puffies and I was like oh wait what that’s how I got my trail name!
The shuttle dropped off Kevin and Lesley’s friend Miles, who was supposed to start with them but forgot to fill out his ESTA for entry to the states! So sadly that means he missed the Katahdin experience.
This morning was a nice chilled walk to Abol bridge. We started hiking around 9am, a nice flat trail which was exactly what we needed after yesterday. We walked together on and off.
Leaving Katahdin Stream campground as a group
Miles, a friend of Lesley and Kevin
The mosquitoes were really something else. They were SO BAD! They were loving the backs of my knees and my shoulders. I used my little towel like a horse uses its tail, whipping it back and forth. We passed a couple of NOBOs, one of them was bitten so badly her legs were covered in big welts and the other begged for bug spray. Neither of them were happy! I wasn’t carrying bug spray which could be a mistake.
We had a couple of rivers to cross and we all waited for each other to make sure we got across safely. J13 was struggling a bit and that’s because he didn’t have the confidence in the strength of his knees and I can really empathise with that feeling – my quads are destroyed today! I was thankful for the mostly flat trail.
Lots of roots on the trail
Toad?
Following the creek
The green tunnel
Trail goes straight up
The first of many river crossings
We walked in different groups and after a while I had to take off and walk faster to try and outrun the mosquitoes, not that it worked. There were regularly 5 or 6 on my shoulder, around my wrists and biting the backs of my legs.
I walked holding my poles and swatting away the bugs away with my little towel as best I could. I caught up to Log and had him set the pace so he could pull me along and I could get to Abol bridge and a cold drink as quick as possible.
The humidity and the temperature was also crazy high and my skin was just… wet. My clothes, which had more or less dried - at least at the front - were now soaking wet again with sweat. I really smell so bad already.
As I was following Log I tripped on a root at took a tumble. I was almost able to save myself but my quads were too weak to provide any strength so I hit the ground and tumbled a couple of times. No major damage done; a scraped knee and a slightly bruised shoulder.
We were marching on at quite a pace and when the sun came out we started to really over heat. It was impossible to stop because of the mosquitoes, they would just swarm all around, but we had to take 5 minutes because of the heat. We crossed a bridge and filled up our water bottles, guzzled a load and then tipped the rest over our heads.
My upper body is so sore from all the swinging down rocks we did yesterday it was a struggle for me to reach backwards for my water bottle while my bag was on my back so I will be continuing to exist in a state of dehydration.
We came to the exit of Baxter park where we deposited our yellow slips. It was hard to believe that earlier in the season this area was waist deep in water.
Following Log to Abol Bridge
The edge of Baxter park, this was waist deep in water earlier in the season
Looking back at Katahdin
The mosquitoes alternated between not too bad and horrific. We made it to the dirt road where the mosquitoes weren’t so bad but the sun was beating down. Did I mention how hot it was.
We arrived at the store and I didn’t even look at the prices, I just picked up anything I wanted which ended up being a big Gatorade, a tuna packet with sunflower oil and 3 mini Slim Jims (these are like Peperami in the UK). I went straight to the picnic table which was in the shade and devoured the food. I was hungrier than I thought I was. Also, didn’t load up on sugar like I normally would. I even rejected an ice cream. Who am I?
Kevin, Lesley and J13 arrived about 40 minutes later. They had stopped to take a break. I don’t blame them, my legs were screaming to stop way before we reached the store.
Hiding in the shade at Abol Bridge
Abol Bridge store
Lunch
A tub of garlic with a hint of avocado!
Inspecting my soggy feet
Sadly the restaurant was closed which was really unfortunate as the food there last time was so good, but as it was only day 2 I didn’t really need a proper meal yet. I took the opportunity to air my feet as they had been in damp socks all day.
They also had a toilet and considering I hadn’t been properly since I left the hostel – which was over 48 hours ago – I had to sit in there a while until things worked themselves out. I felt a lot better afterwards. I also washed my face and my head which was a nice short hair treat.
Toilet selfie!
I had considered walking 11.5 miles to a camp site to make it a 21.5 mile day but it was 15:45 already and I didn’t want it push it too much and injure myself on second day. Plus I was enjoying the company of these people and another night with them sounded good.
So ee hiked on into the heat and the mosquitoes once more for just another 3.5 miles to the next lean-to. It was another nice walk with a few more little ups and downs. We walked mostly together, apart from J13 who left a bit earlier than us to get there in good time. We had some great chats as we went along and I will miss hiking with them. I feel like we have got to know each other well in the last couple of days.
Entering the 100 miles wilderness
We met J13 at a nice spring which was just half a mile from the shelter, I decided to carry water rather than have to fill up there because it meant one less camp chore. I had packed out a gatorade into my clean water bottle.
At the shelter we found some spots to camp and set up pretty close to each other. I got in my tent quickly to get away from the bugs and it was just a sweat box so I sat there in my underwear. I have got to the point of being passed caring… on day 2.
I made a dehydrated meal and didn’t really want to eat a hot meal because the temperature in my tent was approximately a thousand degrees but I also wanted to lighten my load, so I ate a hot meal while sweating in my tent.
Back in my tent
Everyone else was social and sat outside but I couldn’t deal with the bugs. I tried to inspect my arms and they didn’t seem as bad as I was expecting them to be. I took and antihistamine as soon as I got to camp to try and lessen the effects of all the bites. I noticed two big red marks on my shoulder which I figured was probably from where I fell over because they hurt when I pressed them. It hurts to get in and out of my tent. My muscles are so sore.
I am just laying on my air mat with my sleeping bag wedged down the side of me because the temperature in my tent is still 25°C /77°F, enjoying being back in my tent and the stillness and the sounds of nature
There was a privy here and it was a pretty decent one.
