Today's Miles: 8.7
Total Miles: 246.8
I knew the moment I heard rain drops on my rain fly that today was going to be an interesting day. I grabbed my clothes hanging outside as soon as I realized the situation and dragged out the process of getting out of my tent as much as possible. I finally started hiking just before 8:00, and the rain was constant throughout the entire day. There was mud everywhere, and avoidance was nearly impossible. I slipped into one mud pit and ended up being to my knee in mud. Wet roots are the devil. I slept on one and fell face first. A pine tree was nice enough to break my fall before I had a chance to completely catch myself. The original plan was to hike 12 miles to the lean-to and head into Andover tomorrow. That plan was quickly thwarted, especially once another steep climb up the next mountain was considered. I passed a few other hikers throughout the day who were planning on going into town, so I was hoping to catch a shuttle with them. There was a steep descent down Old Blue Mountain that proved to be slippery, and an even steeper one down to South Arm Road. I slipped in some mud on a narrow switchback and really thought I was a goner. There was nothing over the edge, and it was too foggy to see what was down at the bottom. I didn't know if it was water, the road, or just more mountainside. It was a long, slow climb down. When I reached the bottom, Rerun was there with some NOBOs waiting for a shuttle. Dr. Evil and Hal showed up shortly after, and we were all able to squeeze into the van and head to town. One of the people from Pine Ellis picked us up, but they didn't have any more room at their place. I kept trying to ask where The Cabin, another bunkhouse, was, but I was being ignored. At this point I was cold, soaked, and irritated so I gave him his money for the shuttle just so he would leave. I called The Cabin from the general store, and Earl came to pick me up a few minutes later. They were pretty much full, but still let me come anyway. I slept on the couch, but couldn't have been happier with the decision. MDot, Live Simply, and Uno were here when I walked in, which I was surprised to see. I guess they got tired of the rain today too. We all made the right choice - there were lobsters and steak for dinner tonight and moose tracks ice cream for dessert! This place is amazing and I'm so happy to be staying here.
This was supposed to be a viewpoint.
Normal trail food?
Moose tracks and brownies!
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