August 16, 2024 2 min to read

AT Blog: Day 91

Running into Old Friends

Day 91:

Wake up at Wildcat shelter. Some of the people had left already but I met a dad and his son doing a 3 week section hike. Waywalker (who I had not seen in a month) stops by we chat for a minute but she is trying to get to town to pick up new shoes. She lets me know that the other hikers in our initial trail family are nearby!

Near the falls meet up with Wildgame, Huge, Lobster, and Tigger again and hike together like its old times. It’s pretty rocky and we joke about how all of us combined can’t find the trail. We get water together via trail magic and I meet strider. Also taxi catches up he wasn’t with them the past couple of days so it’s like a big reunion.

Keep going gets rocky and difficult to navigate we slowly spread out but all stop again at the road. The road is considered the easiest stopping point to go to NYC, due to a nearby active station. Everyone but Strider and Taxi are getting off to go to NYC or other places. I had been to NYC a few months ago and did not feel like going.

I keep hiking, running into Footloose and Strider a couple of times. Get on phone with parents then do the lemon squeezer. It is a narrow passage that requires some meddling with my pack. It also has a rock climb that I puzzle over for a solid three minutes, before tossing my pack over the ledge and using my hands to pull me up. I then take side trail to lake, becuase it says it has some refreshments and a proper working bathroom.

Lake is crowded, it looks like Lake Lanier during Memorial Day back home but I get fresh water a drink and a strawberry shortcake ice cream. Also get a huge slice of watermelon from a stranger who had spare from his family BBQ.

Hike a couple of miles out with Strider learning about him. Get to shelter and boy scouts are overruning it and telling other people to leave. They are pretty rude.

Have to hike another couple of miles and stop on top of black mountain with a view of the city. Footloose is camped nearby to the south.