Mile 1,475.4
Elevation 423 feet
Miles Hiked 15.7
I stayed in the shelter last night with just one other hiker, Icho, and a young woman, Honey Bear, sleeping in a hammock off in the woods. Icho and I were up by 6:00 AM while Honey Bear slept in. I was off by 7:30 AM.
The plan was to go almost nine miles and catch a ride into Kent, CT. I was heading to an outfitter to try to buy new shoes. My current boots have wreaked havoc on my feet.
Remember yesterday when I said Connecticut was easy hiking? Yeah, well that proclamation fell by the wayside as I hit an elevation gain of over 1,000 feet with rocks galore thrown in. Some of these rock scrambles are becoming increasingly dangerous and really slow me down. Furthermore, it’s questionable whether it’s harder to go up them or down them.
I reached the road to Kent by 2:00 PM. I decided it was too late to try to go into town, so instead I kept hiking. Again, another big elevation gain had to be climbed, but what really shook me was when the inevitable descent was reached. It was all rocks and a nearly vertical climb down. It took me about 45 minutes to climb down.
I arrived at the shelter by 7:15 PM. My pace is terrible. It took me almost twelve hours to hike a little under 16 miles. The problem with my feet doesn’t help of course. I put up my tent after eating and went right to sleep.
