That still and quiet place.

5:20pm (daylight savings time!) @ Shenandoah Tenting Area.
mi 761.7


Rained a bit this morning so I slept in an extra hour or two at the shelter. When I went to depart, I saw my camping friends from the night before had already left. My heart sank a bit. There is this explainable connection one makes with people on an adventure. Then as quickly as they come into your life, they are gone. Forever.
But I've known this for a long time now, learned on other adventures. It didn't get me down for long.

Rest of the day went smooth enough. Pack feels soo heavy because of the all the 'winter' gear. All the warm weather clothing weighs more. Also, carrying more food to compensate for the colder weather. The real challenge today was water. Source after source was either dry, or had signs(literal) instructing not to drink. Hmm....wonder if this is going to be a trend?

Walked 10 miles today. If there was more daylight I could have easily gone 15. The trail is much 'easier' than Maine was. The blanket of freshly fallen leaves slows hiking down considerably. Can't see the roots, rocks, or trail for that matter. It's sort of fun actually. Because the trail is completely obscured, it looks exactly like the rest of the forest. so all day it feels like I am bush whacking or blazing the trail.
If the trail was not so excellently blazed here in NY I would be unable to continue. How do folks hike this trail in the winter?!

This campsite I am at tonight strikes me as a great place to ave thru hiked during the peak season. One big field, a water pump, and old building, picnic tables & fire pits. I imagine all the happy hikers spread out and making good memories in this spot.

It's a little sad at night when I'm alone. During the day everything is glorious solitude. But this melancholy feeling in the evening is a small price to pay for the alone time I had been seeking since starting this trip.
Wonderful (in the literal sense of the word). Peaceful.