Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 8 - I’m prepared to get naked
3rd August 2023
Route 15 / Monson (mile 114.7) – Tent Site (mile 127.7)
Daily miles: 13
Total miles: 133
A slightly less puffy face this morning
I didn’t sleep well. Historically I never have when I’m in a town situation. There were a few snorers and there was definitely someone talking in their sleep which is always funny. I was awake from 03:00-04:30. I even had to get up and have a poo in that time; I never have to get up in the night.
Cosy in my tent
Swollen and sore!
I drifted on and off and woke up to heavy condensation and people up and about. I signed up for breakfast and I’m glad I did! It was a HUGE pile of eggs, bacon and potatoes. Perfect. I was sat outside on a picnic table with a guy from Sweden and a guy from Belgium and a guy from England. And a couple of Americans.
There aren’t many combos as great as bacon, egg and potato
There are a real mix of people here. Some on their way to finish NOBO, some already finished, some going south, and then one kinda strange guy who was offering shuttles but also really making the most of the facilities – including eating more pancakes than anyone else and having an Epsom salt foot bath.
I didn’t know what my plan was going to be. I was still struggling to think. I had two more poos. You probably don’t like hearing about the amount of poos I’ve had but that makes 7 in 24 hours and I think that’s worth commenting on. Where did it all come from? Where was it all being stored?
Anyway, I gave my parents a quick call and then went to sort out my next resupply. I wasn’t really sure how much resupply I needed because I still couldn’t really think about what lay ahead. I know there is a place to pick up some food by the kennebec river crossing which is 2-3 days away, so I figure as long as I have enough to get there I’ll be ok.
Yesterday I rolled into town with a bite of cliff bar left (because I forgot I had it) and one dehydrated meal left because I was too lazy / tired / didn’t have enough water / just didn’t want to eat it. That’s how it’s supposed to be. I had just enough food, although if I had more snacks I would have definitely eaten them.
Firstly I got some stuff from the hostel. Part of the building is “Poet’s Gear Emporium” which has all the stuff you could ever need. I was able to have a look at a few things I’ve seen online in really life which was nice, but I didn’t need to buy any gear.
Upstairs is food resupply. It’s not cheap, actually it’s quite pricy, but there wasn’t much other choice. It ended up being an expensive stay, about £70 for everything - camping, shower, laundry, resupply and breakfast. Does that sound expensive to you or am I out of touch?
I picked up some random bits of resupply from the hostel and then got some more random bits from the general store. I also got a whole toilet roll because I don’t want to run the risk of running out again!
Monson Appalachian Trail visitors centre
I also went over the the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in the purple building and picked up my AT tag - so now I feel like a real thru-hiker. Wendy is super knowledgeable and helps out a lot of NOBOs with the logistics of climbing Katahdin and getting out of the park.
She spoke to me about what I had coming up and to be honest I zoned in and out a bit but I took away a couple of things: there is a river crossing that I want to do before the rain forecast for Friday, and if I encounter a nesting hawk I have to put my trekking poles above my head so it attacks them and not my face.
Displaying my AT tag so everyone knows I’m a thru-hiker!
I went back to the hostel and packed up all my stuff, said goodbye to a few of the nice people I had met and went to hitch a ride back to the trail. I remembered just in time that I was going to pack out a sandwich from the deli to have to tonight’s dinner, so I spent another $10 on the same sandwich I had yesterday.
I crossed the road, stood in the shade and put my thumb out. The first car stopped for me. YES!
They were a cool couple with AT stickers on the back of their car and of course had also hiked the AT. The lady once, the dog once and the guy 7 times!! It turned out to be another hitch who took me out of their way as they dropped me off and turned back and went back to town.
My hitch
There were 3 NOBOs trying to hitch a ride but they were making some mistakes. They were sitting down and looking at their phones, not engaging with the drivers. You have to smile and wave at the very least!
I started hiking at about 11:15. I couldn’t remember what the trail was like and it was a pleasant surprise to find it was a dream trail compared to the last few days. Hardly any tree roots. Not so many rocks. Much less mud. There were a couple of blowdowns but they were navigated on hands and knees. I felt a renewed sense of purpose, but I was still cautious as my feet were still really sore.
A nice bit of boardwalk
Very overgrown trail
Blowdowns
Fungi
The downside of today was that the bugs were so bad; constantly flying into my eyes and landing on my head. I feel like most of the time I overheat with my hat on but I had to put it on just to prevent the bugs landing on my head. Of course a few of the little bastards still managed to bite me through the hat.
I wasn’t pushing it today, in fact I felt like I was strolling, and I was happy to see I was maintaining just over a 2-mile-an-hour pace. I didn’t want to push it because I could feel a twinge in my right shin, a twinge in my left calf and some discomfort in my left foot. In hindsight it may have been beneficial to have done some training for this.
As part of my resupply I picked up some electrolyte drink mixes and hopefully that will help me drink more too as I haven’t drunk enough and I’ve been really dehydrated which is just how I live my life.
On a mission to be hydrated
The trail remained nice throughout the whole day. Some nice flat bits and some short, but not too steep, ups and downs. I wasn’t sure how far I was going to get. My first goal was the shelter at around 9 miles in.
There was a stream crossing with no hope of dry feet today. With my feet being so sore I didn’t want to have wet shoes again so I broke river crossing rule 101 and I crossed in bare feet. I only did this because I could see the bottom of the river clearly, it was made up of small stones, not boulders, and the flow wasn’t strong. The water only came up to mid calf and it was an easy crossing. I was then able to take my time to dry off my feet and put on dry shoes and socks.
Feeling good, looking rough!
Road crossing
River crossing
Some nice smooth trail
Some not so smooth trail
The angry squirrels are everywhere
After it became clear I was going to go further than that shelter I realised I would have another river crossing to do, the one that could be effected by Friday’s (tomorrow’s) forecasted rain. So it was good that I was able to get it done today, but at the same time I wasn’t looking forward to another river crossing at the potential for wet shoes. I spoke to a couple of NOBOs and they said it was doable and it was up to the top of their thighs. Oh man.
When I came to it, even though it was deeper than the first crossing I also decided to do it in bare feet. Again I could see the bottom and I could see that there were rocks and stones rather than big boulders. It wasn’t flowing fast and there was only a gentle current.
I took off my shorts too because I didn’t want to get them wet and I also considered taking off my underpants, so strong was the desire to not be wet. There was no one around, but knowing my luck someone would probably come along. But would I ever see them again? Probably not.
Anyway. I decided to leave my underpants on.
Because the rocks were small and because I had a stable 3 points of contact with my trekking poles (I don’t know how people cross rivers like this without trekking poles) I was able to move my foot around in the water and shift it’s placement until I was sure it was secure.
There is no way I would have crossed barefoot on some of the crossing further north, especially not the one where I fell. Those were massing rocks and if I’d slipped my foot would have had absolutely no protection and could have been crushed.
So what I’m saying is: risk assess and make sensible decisions.
The water did come up to the top of my thigh but thankfully not as high as my underpants so they remained dry. I sat on the other side and dried off, my thermometer said 24°C / 75°F but it felt chillier, probably because it was cloudy.
River crossing part 1, to the little island in the middle
River crossing part 2, from the island to the other side, this was thigh deep
Crossing bare foot because I could see the bottom
Happy to have made it without any wet clothes
Next up, a couple of streams to cross which were a rock hop. I filled my water at the second one as I was heading for a dry camp, and I had managed to drink 2 whole bottles of water today – with the electrolyte powder in so that’s working.
I even had 2 wees on trail too. One was shortly after the river crossing where I had taken my shorts off and the need was so urgent that I almost wet myself. That would have been good wouldn’t it? Make it all the way across the river than wet my pants. Thankfully I didn’t.
The Appalachian Trail
A rock hop
The last obstacle was a bit of bog. It would have been a disaster to get that far and then get wet feet in the bog. I managed to navigate it on logs and the branches of trees people have squashed down.
Navigating the bog
I arrived at the campsite – a disused logging road, not the sexiest of campsites but it would do – at 6pm, early, but I needed to give my feet a chance to heal because they are sore. I’ve a long way to go, with time to catch up on myself.
Besides, who really cares whether I do this in 100 days or under. Only me. Will I be letting myself down if I don’t achieve that? No. I will still have hiked the trail. It would be worse to injure myself in the process and not be able to finish at all…
The bugs were so bad I was swatting them on my legs as I was putting up my tent and smearing my own blood on myself. I got in the tent as quickly as possible to get away from them and as I lie here now my feet are pulsating once again.
I ate my deli sandwich – very good decision to pack that out – and I had barely touched my snacks because of that massive breakfast so I still have quite a lot of food.
Deli sandwich for dinner
I don’t like lying down too early so I held out until 8pm before lying down. My thermometer says 21°C / 70°F but every evening I seem to feel a bit of a chill, so my fleece goes on pretty much as soon as I’m in my tent.
My clothes smell so nice. So I’m making the most of that today because as soon as anything gets wet it’s going to smell rank again.
I’ve taken a pain killer and an antihistamine as all the bites are starting to itch for the first time.
Those red bits are very sore
It’s sprinkling with rain lightly and I’m pleased to be in my tent. I’m camping alone tonight. I feel I’m going to have a lot more solo camps this trip and I’m not totally sure how I feel about it. I do like camping with other people.
The danger now with lying down and being cosy and away from the bugs and having drunk enough today is that I’m not going to want to get out for a pre bed wee.
