Today was not a nice day or an easy day. We woke up to a wet rain fly due to a foggy night and an abundance of condensation. It may have sprinkled a bit last night as well. In any case we had some wet gear to pack up.
The wetness of the morning also caused some slow hiking. We had a few steep descents on rocks which were made slick with the fine layer of water on them. We hadn’t traveled this slowly in a while, an average of only 1.7 miles per hour including the time for our breaks, of which we only took two.
To add to the annoyance of the wet and rough trail, the weather was overcast all day with a few showers in the afternoon. Nothing soaking, but just enough to keep everything wet. My boots are way past being reliable on even some dry surfaces, so it was slow going to make sure I didn’t slip and fall.
Speaking of boots… along with the tread being long gone, they’re no longer providing any support, and they’re just falling apart. My feet have been bothering me for the last week, and the toe part of the sole is pulling away, which likes to catch on stray roots and try to send me down. I probably should’ve gotten one last set of new shoes after our trip back home to get me through Maine, but I didn’t, and now I’m paying the price.
Tomorrow morning we’ve got some more rough terrain as we climb up the highest mountain in the 100 mile wilderness portion of the AT, Whitecap Mountain. We’ve been told that after we make it over Whitecap that we’re on easy street for the rest of the 100 mile wilderness. There are just a few little bumps along the way, but mostly flat, so we can get some good miles in. Hopefully the weather will improve as well. It’d be nice to see some sun and stars out here in the darkest sky on the east coast.
