Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 27 – That mental Australian
22nd August 2023
Ethan Pond Shelter (348.5) - Garfield Ridge Shelter (363.1)
Daily miles: 14.6
Total miles: 370
I packed away as quietly as I could on a wooden platform and I was away by 06:30. The only other people up were NOBO AT hikers in the shelter.
Morning view over Ethan Pond
The next 5 miles to Zealand Falls Hut were a dream. The first mile or so was a little boggy but with some good bog boards and some strategically placed rocks it was easy to keep my feet dry. Then the trail turned into flat, well maintained, amazing trail. I felt like skipping along it was so nice to walk on! I put some tunes and had a lovely time; I even managed to walk along without looking at the ground. It was also sunny with blue sky which helped lift my spirits.
A nice trail
A bridge
Nice to cross a river on a bridge!
Perfect trail!
A glorious day
Just before I arrived at Zealand Hut I had a bunch of day hikers heading towards me… breakfast was finished then. When I got there I got some sausage things and some eggs. The hut was completely empty. The “Croo” were uninterested in me and didn’t say anything which seems to be a bit of a theme with these huts this year.
Zealand Hut
The Croo use these boards to transport goods to the huts
Sausage things and scrambled egg
I filled my water, went to the loo and moved on to the climb up to Zealand mountain. I was going slow, I passed a couple of people so maybe I wasn’t going that slow, but then this girl blazed past me and I felt really slow again. I sped up a little and she slowed down so we could have a bit of a chat for about 15 minutes, then she took off and I never saw her again.
Once over the big steep rocky climb it was a quite pleasant ridge walk with just gentle ups and downs. Zealand summit was just trees but Guyot summit opened out into nice views and then South Twin summit - this highest of the 3 peaks – had a great view of Franconia ridge. I stayed up there for a few minutes but it was really windy and icy cold so I chucked my fleece on and hot footed it down the mountain. It was a steep descent and my knees felt like they were going to pop out. It got warmer as I went down and as expected I had to delayer.
Approaching the summit of South Twin summit
Views over to Franconia Ridge
Trees for miles
I asked someone to take my picture at the top
I also took my own picture with a tripod I have been carrying
I stopped at Galehead hut but once again there wasn’t a lot going on inside. I thought I might be able to cash in my voucher for a baked good, but no baked goods to be seen.
It was a nice day so I sat outside for a while and had my longest break I’ve taken the whole trail, around half an hour. It was probably the least relaxing break I’ve taken too. There was a NOBO hiker there who was making a video call which he started about 5 minutes after I got there and he was SHOUTING into his phone. The very definition of a “thruhole”. He was annoying others there as I heard some of the comments people were making so it wasn’t just me being miserable! I had to leave as he was showing no signs of ending the call.
A beautiful day
The last 3 miles to the shelter where harder work than I was anticipating but I was also in no rush so I was taking it slow. It consisted of a lot of boulders and a few scrambles. The worst bit was right before the shelter where there was a really steep climb with water cascading down it. I had to check Far Out to make sure I was actually on the trail. There was a girl at the top doing the same thing.
A steep scramble
I had to check whether this was the actual trail
I got to the junction of the shelter just before 5pm. I definitely could have carried on a bit but there wasn’t really anywhere to camp. I’m sure there were some stealth sites but I was happy to stay at the shelter and give my poor old knees a rest.
At the junction I met a NOBO; an Australian man called Mental aka “That Mental Australian”. He’s on day 144. He hasn’t had a shower. He’s not done laundry. He’s not stayed in a shelter or in a town. He said on day 59 he was ready to give up and be done but he’s carrying on. He does about 12 miles a day and it takes him from dawn to dusk. He wakes up at 4am and does an hour of stretching.
A very well placed stick makes collecting water a lot easier
“That Mental Australian” giving a traditional Aussie greeting!
He did pong a bit, but nowhere near as bad as I expected him to after 144 days with out a wash. I think he said he planned to finish on day 183 on what would have been his fathers 100th birthday.
He invited me to stay with him if I ever found myself in Oz again on the Gold Coast. He meant it too.
I hiked up the hill to the shelter and it was a really nice one. It looks brand new but it’s about 8 years old I think. There was a guy with a dog there who I found out was a SOBO, but he was smoking a cigarette which is horrible when you’re up in the mountains and trying to enjoy the fresh air. If you’re going to smoke you could at least do it away from the shelter.
Anyway.
I went to look for the tent platforms but they seemed kinda far away and I couldn’t be bothered to set up my tent so I got a space in the shelter on the bottom tier in the corner. It was getting really cold so I set all my stuff up quickly, scoffed down a handful of goldfish crackers and got into my sleeping bag.
My view from inside the shelter
Doggy in the shelter
The caretaker then came around and collected the $5 it cost to stay there and I got snug in my bag again. It was only 7pm. The shelter is pretty full and there are loads of people camping but there aren’t that many AT hikers here. Most are doing this loop trail - the Pemi loop I think it’s called.
A NOBO hiker came in who had a cast on her wrist. She broke it in New York but has carried on hiking.
