Appalachian Trail Adventure Day 11 (6/27/21)

South Arm Road (Andover) to East B Road (Andover)

8.6 Miles


Today was all about four hikers: Gazelle, Medicine Man, Ali, and I. Everyone else (Bear and Hard Goods) was zeroing, and Captain is done. The four of us who were hiking today were doing a slackpack over Moody Mountain and Wyman Mountain.


Before we started, we had a big breakfast of blueberry pancakes, eggs, and potatoes. It was delicious, and gave us good fuel for the day.


Our driver for the day was Honey. I admit that I was a little nervous about an 89 year old driver, but it went okay. There was only one scary incident, when Honey swerved to avoid a bird in the road, but all’s well that ends well.


On the way to the trailhead, I learned about a northbounder that I passed yesterday. His name is Wardrobe, and he is notable because he hikes in a dress. As I have said before, you meet all kinds of unique people out here.


We got dropped off at the trailhead on South Arm Road, and immediately had to climb Moody Mountain. That climb was made worse by the fact that I was trying to keep up with Gazelle, which was a fool’s errand.




At the top of the mountain, Medicine Man found some hallucinogenic mushrooms he was excited about. He stopped to pick them while Gazelle helped him. I told them that they were faster than me anyway and hiked on. Ali said the same and hiked on with me.


We then descended Moody Mountain while having a conversation. It was actually the first time on trail that I have hiked together with anyone. We dropped down to a water source at the end of Moody Mountain. Ali stopped to get water, and I continued on to the climb of Wyman Mountain.


My being out in front was a temporary affair. The climb up Wyman was absolutely brutal. Medicine Man passed me first, then Gazelle, then Ali. For the rest of the climb up, I was dragging along in the rear. A lot of this was because the climbing style was different between the four of us. The other three were more consistent climbers, while I prefer to stop frequently on big climbs.


Near the top of Wyman, we found the Hall Mountain Lean To. Boy, were we all glad to see it. We rested there for quite a while. I also experienced something there that was new for me. I have often sweated through my shirts, but today I sweated through my pants as well.




A lot of the difficulties today had to do with the heat. The temperature was in the 80s and it was humid. I also realized midway through the day that I had forgotten my water filter for the slackpack today, so that was less than ideal. I had enough water to make it, though.


Once we made it past Wyman, the Trail became a lot easier. It was primarily downhill, and the terrain wasn’t bad. We started to make good time, and we soon wound up at Surplus Pond Road, from where we were supposed to call the hostel. As an aside, who names these places? Was it an extra pond laying around?


Ali called the hostel, and Gazelle was given the task of leading us through the last mile and a half in half an hour. In my best Leslie Nielsen, I told him, “I just want you to know, we’re all counting on you.”


We raced to the road, and got there just before Honey showed up for the pickup. She brought us to the store, where I got a cookie and a Gatorade, and then back to the hostel.


Back at The Cabin, I quickly grabbed a shower and put my laundry in the machine. I then went to go hang out with everyone, and was treated to Captain playing guitar while Gazelle sang Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” It was fun. 


I was frustrated when Don, Honey’s son, came in a few minutes later and was about to give the private room where I am staying to new hikers that just arrived. I had already reserved it for the second night. I had to point this out, which made me seem like the bad guy because they can’t keep their scheduling straight. They’re very nice people, but to call this place a business is probably a bit of an overstatement. It’s more a labor of love.


Three new hikers came in today. The first, Doc, is a nurse. Like Medicine Man, he has already had to respond to several medical emergencies on trail. He said that we had met before, but I didn’t remember it.


The second, Lazy Boy, is a military veteran, and one of the few hikers that I have seen who is older than me. He got his trail name because he likes to recline as soon as he gets to a shelter or other destination.


The third, Edison, is another military veteran, and hiking together with Lazy Boy. He got his trail name because he likes to tinker with his gear and find new ways to use things.


It turns out that like Captain, Lazy Boy is a guitar player, so they favored us with a little concert before dinner. It was a lot of fun.




Dinner tonight at the hostel was hamburgers, salad, potato salad, and corn. Dessert was ice cream and brownies. The food was good, but once again I enjoyed the camaraderie more. I sat near Lazy Boy and Edison and chatted with them the whole time.


In the picture below, from left to right, these are Gazelle, Hard Goods, Hawk (me), Bear, Honey, Rusty, Swan, Medicine Man, and Captain.




Thanks Dagnabit for the recent comment!


Always remember that you can’t take flight until you spread your wings.


And here’s one flower for today.



Comments

  1. UnknownJune 28, 2021 at 6:43 AM

    That is a really unique flower! Are you going to give us the answers?? LOL

    ReplyDelete

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