Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 59 – A wet and rainy 30 miles
23rd September 2023
Leroy A Smith Shelter (921.5) - PA Route 309 - (951.8)
Daily miles: 30.4
Total miles: 959.8
It was already raining when we woke up which was at 04:55am with Toe’s alarm. I laid there until 05:20am and then started packing up. It was actually a great nights sleep last night, it was nice and cozy and a great temperature. And nothing was damp when I woke up.
May Queen’s mum providing the party with some glow sticks
It was cold enough to see your breath out though. Lemonhope left first, followed by Toe and Pyro, then me and May Queen was last to leave.
I was back on the trail at 06:15am. It was too dark to see so I had my head torch on for about half an hour before it got light enough. I had a wee before I left. I should have had a poo, but I made the bad decision not to go. I started out with my rain skirt, rain coat and buff on my head. The rain gear stayed on all day, the buff went on and off throughout continuously and the umbrella went up and down.
Leaving the shelter in the dark
Into the mist
Umbrella goes up. Umbrella goes down.
30 miles today. Well, 30.4 miles. I had in my head it would take me 12 hours. 10 miles every 4 hours. Minimal breaks.
It was rocky but mostly flat so the first 3 hours I was only 5 minutes behind a 3 mile an hour pace. The rain was light and manageable. The rocks got a little more intense so after 4 hours I was either 1 mile behind a 3mph pace or 1 mile ahead of my 2.5 mph pace.
Water left for hikers but it tasted nasty
Climbing up wet rocks
Minimal views through the mist
Wet and windy
Trail through the forest
The next set of 4 hours were a bit more of a struggle. First came a whole load of thick bushes which have that car wash effect and make you really wet and uncomfortable. After I went through that I got really cold. At 12:00pm I really needed to wee, my first one since leaving camp. I still needed to poo too but there was no way I was going off trail and digging a hole. So I wee’d and as I did Whitney Houston I Want To Dance With Somebody came into my ears so I used the opportunity with my pack off to have a dance break, and a Twix. I didn’t want to sit down and get cold so a dance break it was. And I was at 15 miles so half way through and 15 minutes under my 12 hour pace.
Power lines
It was very blowy across here
Views across the fields
Twix break
I tried to listen to 3 different audio books this morning but nothing was holding my attention so the music went on shuffle instead.
It rained a bit harder but still not too bad. Then came the descent into Lehigh Gap. I remember the ascent last time and I remember it being pretty intense so I wasn’t looking forward to the descent. It was as bad as I expected. A lot of hands and bum to get down off the large slippery and steep rocks. My pace slowed considerably. Then to cross a sketchy road crossing, cross the Lehigh river and start climbing up the other side.
Looking down to the Lehigh river
Very rocky trail
The top of the climb
Looking down to the Lehigh valley
I slid down this on my bum
Sketchy road crossing
Bridge over the river
Near the top of the climb is a shelter and I saw Lemonhope and Toe taking a lunch break. Toe had been there half an hour which makes sense as she left half an hour before me.
I only stayed there for about 10 minutes. I didn’t even take my pack off because it was keeping me warm. I hiked out with Toe and we took the bad weather alternate; we had done our fair share of hiking on exposed ridges today.
The next 6 or so miles were relatively easy walking but the rain did come down hard and the trail was a giant puddle again. So already wet feet, but now very wet and squelchy. We were splashing through the water. Toe pulled ahead of me on the uphill parts and I caught up to her on the downhills, but after a couple of miles I started to bonk a bit and I had to stop to wee again, even though I had barely drunk anything because my water tasted gross. And I had to eat a snack.
Hiking in the rain
Following Toe through the mist
Big puddles on the trail
Still pretty though
The wet rocks really slowed me down
Trail goes that way
Then the rocks kicked in again and slowed me down. At 25 miles in I needed another snack so I stopped to get my Pringles out of my bag, as I was doing so Dang caught up to me. He had been into town, spent a couple of hours there and still caught me up!
Trying to keep up with Dang
Views across the fields
To be fair to myself he is very tall now I can see him in the daylight. His stride is about 3 of my steps! We walked together for a bit chatting and it got very rocky again. Eventually he said he was going to go ahead which relieved me a little because I felt the pressure going over the rocks and didn’t want to make a stupid mistake. I already had a cut on my knee from falling the other day, and I bashed the same knee against my trekking pole and I think it must have reopened the cut because blood trickled all the way down my leg to my sock. It was such a tiny cut for so much blood.
I bashed my knee on my trekking pole
I heard voices and Dang was talking to Toe just up ahead so I caught up to them and we walked the last 3 miles of the day together. The pace was just on the edge of being too much to keep up with, but that was good because it pulled me along and meant I got there quicker. We arrived at 18:05 which was great as I was just under my 12 hour prediction.
Hiking with Toe and Dang. Dang is very tall.
I felt tired. Body sore. Mind tired. Eyes tired. The concentration it takes to get over the rocks really takes it out of you.
We arrived at the Lookout Hostel, which is a random building on the side of the road, and it was so warm inside. There were also a bunch of other people there which surprised us. Of course Pyro was there and had been for some time because he ran there! And there were 3 other people doing SOBO sections.
Made it to the Lookout hostel before dark
There were loaner clothes so we took showers and Toe and I threw in our laundry together. I had my other pair of socks in the outside pocket of my pack and they were so wet, I must have been carrying extra weight today!
Lemonhope arrived, then May Queen, and they all did the same stuff. We then ordered a Chinese takeaway. Chicken and Broccoli which seems to be my go-to out here. I just wanted the broccoli! There were sodas here for $1 - which is exactly what a can of soda should cost - so I had 3. After drinking only half a litre of water all day I should really have drunk a load of water but I drank 3 cans of sprite instead.
Chicken and broccoli Chinese takeaway
Having needed to poo all day and now faced with a toilet I couldn’t make anything come out. Probably because of the dehydration.
We all stayed up way too late a tried to convince Dang to zero tomorrow and be part of the crew. He has to average 33 miles a day to finish by Halloween, and he has been doing around 36-40 every day!!!
My shoes are a problem. They are very ripped and I didn’t know if they will make it another 200 miles and I don’t know what I can do about that.
