September 2, 2024 2 min to read

AT Blog: Day 99

Slip and Slide

Day 99:

Wake up before the rain. Last night they were calling for rain at 8 AM, so I made sure everything was packed and I was gone before then.

I Refill water grab a little food then start moving. Today’s hike is from 1520.1 to 1541.5, Mt. Wilcox North shelter. The hiking is easy at the start, until the rain starts. I should have strided to be up earlier so I could get off of Mt. Everett, as the trail going down is very rocky and now slick with rain.

I slip and slide once, scrapping my right hand and knee, nothing major but annoying for the rest of the day. Also despite being in June the temperature is in the 50s this morning and with rain means I’m chilling a bit. Fortunately I got good rain gear so I stay dry beneath.

Eventually I get off the mountain and the next few miles are flat. It’s annoying as I go through farmland the grasses on the side of the trail are tall and overgrown, soaking my lower half as I walk on the trail. Around 10:30 AM the rain stops. I stop by Shay’s Rebellion monument, just a small stone monument to mark a major event that formed our government.

After that I keep hiking, I take a brief break at Tom Leonard Shelter for lunch and admire the ravens shortly after it. There’s a last climb in the day up Wilcox to get to the shelter it feels like it takes forever but eventually I make it.

Today I had time to reflect on the end of the trail. I crossed the 70% complete marker today, and sure I still have a long way and the Whites in NH are the hardest part of the trail, but still I’m almost done. Most people who started this journey have already left, most people drop out by the Smokies or just 10% of the way. It’s great to feel like I’ve done so much and seen so much, but I will need to keep my wits about me to finish this trail.