Total Miles: 762.6
There's nothing quite like having a train blowing its whistle a hundred times to wake you up in the morning. It was a bit of a chilly start, but it usually makes for better hiking weather later in the day so I didn't mind too much. I can't say my hips felt the same as they are not as fond of the colder weather and take some time to warm up. I was the first one out of the site and on the trail this morning. It was a quiet morning, but the excitement quickly picked up. I stopped to watch a deer as it ran across the trail in front of me. I thought I heard another one behind me, so I turned towards the sound only to find a GIANT black bear standing right in the middle of the trail staring at me. This one was easily twice the size of the last one I saw. I started banging my poles together to scare it away, and it made its way back into the woods. He would go a little ways, turn back to watch me until I made more noise, go a little further, and repeat the process. Some of the other hikers passed by shortly after when I stopped for a break, but they didn't see him anywhere after that. I just kept thinking, "I hope he doesn't like pop tarts!" as I sat on a rock scarfing one down.
The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful. I had a walk around Nuclear Lake, a bit of an odd name if you ask me, and some flat areas to hike through. There are a lot of little ups and downs, which can get pretty tiring after awhile. I decided to head to the pizzeria and store, again about a half mile off the trail in Stormville. I was hoping I would be able to charge things a bit, but all the outlets were taped up, much to my dismay. I was at least able to resupply on snacks, and I know Payce will roll his eyes when he reads that. I've been too tired to cook dinner for the last few nights, so I've just been snacking on things here and there. I do the same thing at home a lot and would probably never eat dinner if he didn't cook, and I guess I'm surprised I cooked dinner every night for so long! The Puppy Pack, another group of SOBOs I met earlier, and Goatman and Jubilee were all heading that way too. They were staying at the RPH Shelter tonight, but I was planning on moving on to the next campsite. I saw another 2 deer, a woodchuck, and a fox all in the last few miles of the hike. An interesting day for wildlife spottings, I guess. I stopped at the shelter to fill up on water and talk to everyone there for a few minutes before continuing on, a little glad I wouldn't be so close to a road. I could hear road noise for the majority of the day, so I really didn't want to be by it all night too. I only had about a mile and a half until camp, and it passed quickly. I was glad I chose this campsite because it was actually really pretty. It was all grass, very flat, and very well maintained. It couldn't have been more perfect, and I know I will be sleeping well here tonight. There were noticeably fewer mosquitoes and black flies today, so maybe the cold weather will continue to keep them away.
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