Total Miles: 780.1
I was feeling so exhausted this morning, so I waited around camp until about 9:30. It was nice to sleep in a little and relax. Some of the longer days are really taking a toll on me, and there was a chance of rain this morning so I was trying to avoid it. It made for a very humid day, which are always so miserable out here.
I had to start with a climb up Shenandoah Mountain, which was pretty quick since I had ascended most of it yesterday. It was really overcast, so there wasn't much of a view. There was an American flag painted at the top in memory of 9/11. I reached down to touch it for a moment, almost forgetting that today is the 10th, and tomorrow will be the 12 year anniversary of the attacks. It's very easy to lose track of the days out here. It's amazing to think of all that has happened in that amount of time, from being in 7th grade hearing the news, to choosing to serve in the military for 6 years, and now finding myself out here. It's all been such an incredible sequence of events and I don't know that I would change it for anything.
The rain held off for the most part, minus a few sprinkles, throughout the day, and I was determined to make it to Graymoor since they offered a shower. I felt pretty disgusting after all the stickiness and sweat all day, so this sounded incredible. The rest of the hiking was very rocky and more small ups and downs. My feet were not happy and I was feeling sluggish. The water in New York is proving to be pretty terrible, so I was elated when I saw a sign for water on the side of a building by a road. The clouds started to clear some, and the last few miles and hills started to display deer everywhere. I saw 16 before I made it to Graymoor. The bugs came back out though, and I was bit bu a crab spider after brushing past a branch. The black flies wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have an incredible ability to fly directly into my eyes. They can be a little tricky to dig out.
When I got to the ball field I found HJ already there. The area that hikers are allowed to stay at is neat. It's an open field with a covered area that hikers can stay in. There's a small shower, and even though there's no hot water, it's still a great feeling to be able to wash off at the end of the day. This whole thing is at a Franciscan Monestary, and the friars have been letting hikers stay since 1972. It's pretty neat, and I'm glad I got to experience it.
When I arrived, HJ offered to go to the store if I watched his things. I agreed, and he picked me up dinner in return. I was able to shower and clean up in the meantime, but I know it won't last long tomorrow since its supposed to be pretty warm. I laid my sleeping bag out on a picnic table, where I hope to stay away from the creepy crawlers tonight.
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