Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 80 – Hanging out in Glasgow
14th october 2023
Punchbowl Shelter (1400.6) - Harrison Ground Spring (1422.6)
Daily miles: 22.2
Total miles: 1430.9
The lady in the shelter was snoring gently so I put my earplugs in. I must have then taken them out at some point because I was woken by some pretty ferocious gnawing. A creature of some kind was gnawing something - it sounded a lot like wood - so I put my head up and tried to decipher the direction of the noise. My pack was hung straight above me and it didn’t sound like it was coming from there, it sounded like it was over to the left so I put my earplugs back in and ignored it.
I definitely shouldn’t have slept with my sleeping bag zipped all the way up. I was far too hot but also too lazy to do anything about it.
When we woke up it was drizzling and misty. We packed up quickly because it was too wet to go and sit at the picnic table so we were out of camp just after 7am.
The first part of the day was a climb straight up so I sensibly - probably for the first time this trail - started feeling a little chilly and as expected I started sweating the instant we went uphill. We had 10.8 miles to do before getting to the road to town.
Dark mornings
Into the mist
Lovely views
I love hiking in the rain
oh
It rained harder and I got my brolly out for about an hour before it stopped and it was just dripping from the trees. Thankfully it wasn’t cold at all, I was actually a bit too hot in my jacket, because cold and wet really sucks.
That pop of red
Golden
Dealing with the eye puff
Misty all morning
The mist is pretty though
I love bridges
There were no views because it was all mist, but it was a really nice ridge walk before a descent to the road. When I popped out at the road at 10:55am Cal was there talking to Lemonhope. He had already been to town and was on his way out. He told us a story of how he stepped on a Copperhead snake last night and how he thinks it struck his shoe. Not good! They are venomous. And I was under the impression that the snakes are tucking themselves away for winter.
After chatting to him for a while we went back across the road to hitch and we had been trying for about a minute when Toe and May Queen arrived. It was actually quite a tough hitch; not many cars and not many people interested in stopping to pick us up. That’s until a very nice older couple with a massive car came and got us - I think they weren’t even going our way but they wanted to take us anyway. So nice of them. We smell. I could smell our wet hiker funk in the car.
Glasgow
Our plan was to do a quick in and out of town and then get back on the trail and do 15 miles to the shelter. We went straight to get some real food because it’s terrible doing a resupply hungry.
We all ordered the same thing. I was going to get a cheese burger but the other 3 ordered a large veggie calzone and I felt like I would have been jealous if I didn’t get that too. What was promised was a very large calzone. I added ricotta cheese and pineapple to my one which already came with mushrooms, green peppers, cheese and onions.
When it came it looked like I would be able to eat the whole thing without any problems but my stomach capacity is small because I don’t eat big meals, I just snack, so after the first slice I was feeling pretty full. I managed a second slice. Plus a Dr Pepper and a whole glass of water because I was terribly dehydrated. I didn’t need to pee until I was half way through my meal.
Veggie Calzone
She gave us foil to pack out the leftovers. Glasgow is super hiker friendly, and tiny; everything is right next to each other. The people in the restaurant knew exactly what we wanted and didn’t even blink when we plugged in all our electronics. I did notice that we got put in a separate room to the regular customers but that’s alright with me!
It was a very pricy meal at $34 with a tip. But I guess I did have some to pack out.
When we left a guy called over to us and explained where everything was in town, including a hiker shelter. Right in the middle of town there a shelter with bunks, picnic tables, electric outlets, a portaloo (which was pretty full) and an outdoor shower with hot water. Also making the most of the facilities were a group of travellers living in bus conversions on their way to some kind of convention. They were also super friendly and asked if there was anything we needed.
We went to the general store to resupply. We only needed 2 days really. The rest of today (and I felt like I might never be able to eat again because my food was sitting really high in my stomach) tomorrow and a shorter day the day after tomorrow.
A very modern grocery store
Ginger Ale powder
The grocery store had everything a hiker could need and it was a little on the expensive side but that’s what you get in small towns. The problem was I really didn’t want any of it. I had some food left over from the last stretch so I just brought more candy and chocolate as they were the only things I’ve eaten through.
We then went over to Dollar General where we saw Rabbit Foot! He was one of the first hikers I met this year at the hostel in Millinocket, he’s going south on the IAT and after he got off trail for a week to go to a concert we got ahead of him. He was posting on his stories where he was and he was gaining on us every day, then for the last week he hadn’t posted anything so I was wondering if something had happened to him and then he turns up here!
I got Pringles and some drink flavouring, they had Canada Dry ginger ale drink flavour for $1 so I had to get them to try. I’ve been obsessed with Ginger Ale this time around. Mountain Dew is out. Ginger Ale is in.
I also brought some own brand Benadryl - $1 vs $9 for the same thing – because something had really dined out on the back on my legs. The left one a lot worse than the right. I have 4 bites on the right but about 10 on the left and they are lumpy, hard and incredibly itchy. They also have this thing where on the top of them after I’ve scratched them, rather than scabbing over, they’ve got this orangey crystallised gunk on top.
Hard oozy bites
We caught up with Rabbit Foot at the shelter. He said he hadn’t had a shower since the Lookout Hostel way back in Pennsylvania so he took a shower. None of us bothered.
By now it was 3pm and our ‘quick town stop’ had been 4 hours long already. There was no way we were going to make it another 15 miles today (which I knew we wouldn’t before we even got to town).
We reassessed and decided to go 11.2 miles more to a camp spot. It would mean a bit of night hiking but as by the time we left town we had 5 hours break in the middle of the day we should put some miles in this evening.
Shelter in the middle of town
We found Rabbit Foot!
We went to hitch out at 3:30pm and we spoke to this guy in a truck and we asked him where he was going and if he would give us a ride back to trail. He was keen, but he also had to wait for a guy to come and hook up his U-Haul trailer.
So we sat in the back of the truck, after having a picture with his dog statue which he carries around, and then realised we could be trying to hitch as well so we might get back to trail quicker. So we tried to hitch but in the end the guy got his trailer fixed up and we all bundled back into the back of his truck again. Then rather oddly, when we were all in the truck another car pulled up and asked if we needed a ride.
One of the more unusual things we have done
We went with the open back truck and after being very warm in town trying to hitch I was absolutely freezing in the back of the truck and wished I had left all my layers on.
It was now 4:20pm. We definitely weren’t doing 15 miles. We discussed going 7.5 miles and doing a big 30 mile day tomorrow, but we eventually settled on 11.2 miles.
Pick up truck hitches
So cold!
It was a lot of climbing and there was going to be a lot of night hiking because for me uphill is slow. We started off and my food was still sitting really high up in my stomach. I was in the front but I made a stop that was slightly tactical. I needed to take my jacket off because I was too hot, but also I was getting all the spider webs to the face so when Toe and May Queen overtook me I didn’t have to get webs to the face.
Refelctions
Lovely bridge
The uphill felt like a slog and I thought I wouldn’t see them again until camp but I passed Toe while she was sitting down eating. She said she got really hungry and had to stop. I hiked on and it was a nice hike despite all the uphill. There were some nice views and had it not got dark by the time we had reached the ridge I’m sure there would have been nice views from there too. But the misty woods were still beautiful and there are so many pops of colour with the red and yellows as the trees turn.
It started to rain a bit and I stopped to put my waterproofs on. As I did so Toe passed me again. I lasted about 10 steps in my jacket before stopping to take it off again because I was just too sweaty and I would have got wetter in that than I would have in the rain.
Back up into the mist
Atmospheric
Almost a clear view
Peepo
I went on. There was a nice trail and it seemed to get brighter the further up we climbed. I managed to hold out until 7:10pm before getting my head torch out - with fresh batteries.
I could see a head lamp ahead which I’m sure was Toe and as I climbed up and took a switchback I think I could see Cal’s light behind.
So much uphill, but as it got dark I think my pace increased and I felt like I was flying up those hills pretty quick. Then came a section of downhill which I really didn’t like, it was so rocky and the danger of hurting yourself felt very high. I caught up to Toe and scared her. She outpaces me on the ups and I outpace her on the downs. May Queen, who was ahead of us, outpaces us both on the ups and downs. It got super windy for a while and that not only made me a bit chilly but it also made things feel a lot more creepy.
I walked behind Toe for a little bit until the trail goes uphill again and I lose her, but we arrive within just a few minutes of each other at the camp spot where May Queen is already, and she had scoped out the situation. She is pitching her tarp and there is room for my tent and then the other 2 are cowboy camping.
I was so pleased to be there. I felt good. We arrived at 8:45ish and considering we started around 4:30 and it was over 4000ft of elevation gain we did pretty well to get there before 9pm.
I had needed a wee for about an hour so it was nice to be able to get that out. Pitched my tent and sat inside - it was so nice to be able to get my shoes off which have been wet all day.
I look at my feet. They are white and wrinkly and the skin was coming off in lots of places. I also noticed that the corn skin had become soft and I could peel the corn off, which I did, but there is now a crater like hole in my foot and I’ve no idea what that’s going to be like to walk on tomorrow!
The corn after the treatment
Now I have a hole in my foot! The red dot in the middle is where the hard column of skin was
I ate some Pringles and cheese and a bit more of my calzone, which I was glad to have packed out. It travels pretty well.
Right now it’s nearly 11pm as I’m finishing writing this and I can barely keep my eyes open.
