2019 Summer Section Hike- Day 14-William Brien Memorial Shelter to US Route 9d

Date: June 29
Total Miles Today: 9.6
Total Miles this Summer: 186.1
Total Trail Miles: 986.5

So at 615 am, the campsite was almost empty. When we arrived the night before, it was full of thru hikers. They all got up and left camp before 6am to beat the heat. 

See that little pile of dark rocks down near the hiker. That's where we got water. Cold and clear...and just when we needed it 

More climbs, more views..and heating up fast.

That's a thru hiker passing us. Her trail name is Little Engine, she is doing a "flip flop", that's where you start in Harper's Ferry....hike to the end in Maine, and then hike south from Harper's Ferry to Georgia. 

More rocks to climb.

Another hot day.

The exposed sections are not that common. Most of your time on the AT is spent in the "green tunnel."

The green rocky tunnel.

The day was dragging early. Perhaps it was the heat, but both of us were moving slower than usual.

Bear Mountain loomed in the distance. We had to descend to the valley, climb it, and drop down the back side we would arrive at a public pool that lets AT Hikers swim for free.

We were really dragging, with the majority of our daily miles left to hike.

It was a fast descent and not too technical. We were almost out of water and not ready for the climb up Bear Mountain when.....

Trail Magic! At the bottom of the mountain we found a line of coolers , stadium chairs and food. There was also a fellow with a camp stove making fried egg sandwiches. We say down, drank some cold sodas, Sage tore into some fresh Cherries and I enjoyed a fried egg sandwich. Rested and cooled off, we were ready to tackle Bear Mountain. 

So what will this next mountain demand of us?

A gentle paved grade?

Pavement ended...and transitioned to carefully cut rock steps. Kinda liking this version of the AT.

Near the top, Sage found a nice bench to collapse. But I knew from my trail app that porta potties and soda machines were ahead, so she reluctantly left the bench.

Also a hot day. This is my hot day look. 

After enjoying an ice cold Poweraid from the machine, we hiked through the Tourist area and began our descent. I noticed the time...just before 3pm. The zoo closes at 430pm, and I couldn't find a closing time for the pool, so I was worried we might miss it. We turned on the gas and practically ran down the mountain. It was even smoother than the ascent. We flew down the mountain.

And ended up by a lake with lots of picnics and the enticing smell of grilled burgers. No trail magic here though..just families in a park.

We made it. And the pool is open later than the zoo. 

Sage jumped in, and we both cooled off from a hard, hot day of hiking.

Everything was fine until we left. That was when Sage showed me a huge popped blister on her heel. Soaked in pool water. Uh oh... large, dirty popped blisters...this is a threat to the rest of our hike. To minimize weight, my first aid kit was very minimal. This makes sense on the AT, as you can typically get off trail easily when you need something.

I wasn't thinking very creatively... exhausted from the day I just couldn't figure out a good way to clean and patch the blisters. I also couldn't find any nearby motels that were not super expensive. No hostels in this are either. 

I found a Rite Aid in a nearby city, so we decided to walk to a decent pickup point and catch a Lyft/Uber.

Sage hobbled across the Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson.

Rain was threatening, but thankfully did not hit us.

With Sage's feet broken(blisters)...I found a Marriott in New Jersey I could book with points. As the next day is Sunday, I decided we would take a zero, rest and clean her feet, and come up with a plan.

A long Uber ride later...we arrived in a clean, comfy room and collapsed. Not the original plan for the day, but I wasn't feeling much regret about the change at that moment.