everything so far has been pretty awesome. it took us about a week, and we still don't fully have our trail legs, but swayze has totally perked up, and just the other day, we pulled our first 21-mile day. granted, the day after, those numbers were reversed, and we just did 12, but we're getting there. :)
we ran into a rattlesnake three days into the trail. that was kind of scary... it was big and fat and yellow. i had to call swayze off of it two or three times, and then it just went on its way. no bears yet. i have yet to do any laundry, but i've had two showers. none with soap, though.
it's so cold for summertime! it's getting down into the upper 50s and lower 60s here, and that's not normal for (what i consider to be) summer. i mean, i guess it might be for here, but when i hiked two years ago, i didn't think the north could get hot. it was still in the 80s at night two years ago. but now, i'm thinking that these are normal temperatures for the north in "summer", and it worries me because i'm not sure how cold it'll be when it actually starts turning cold. i've got a +45 bag, but i can't fully crawl into it and bundle up because i share it with the swayze dog.
she is getting all sorts of trail magic, as always. damselfly and i walked to a deli that was .6 off the trail the other day, and i bought swayze a can of alpo just to break up the routine food, and next thing i know, the lady behind the counter brings her out two more cans as a treat. and then today, we were sitting outside the coffee shop and a lady bought a dog treat and fed it to her. she's lovin' it. :)
gearwise, i'm impressed with things. carrying only 50L isn't so hard at all. i have yet to perfect the amount of food i'm carrying, and i can't drink enough water. even though it's relatively cool, i'm still drinking upwards of 3L a day. i'm not 100% sure how i feel about the tent that i wound up getting... i had to go with the big agnes fishhook ul 2, and it's zipperless. its setup can be tricky on tent pads/concrete, and every once in a while, a few bugs (mainly black ants) will still wind up getting in. on our test run in tim's parents' backyard, we decided that a permethrin treatment was a must, so that's definitely helped with the amount of mosquitoes, etc., but that was a downfall of the tent: i feel if you spend $460 on a tent, you shouldn't have to do anything else to it, especially if bugs getting in is a known possibility. imo, the fishhook should come pre-treated.
my hiker hunger is beginning to kick in, but it's not full-force yet. i have been craving cokes, but nothing super weird (such as ice covered in ketchup) yet.
i miss seeing and talking to everybody! much love to you folks!
some have asked, and if you would like to send anything, here's the formula for general delivery. :) many, many thanks in advance for anything received. :D next town stop to be announced soon.
angie holbrook
c/o general delivery
dalton, ma 01226
please hold for thru-hiker
est'd date of arrival 08/15/2013
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