Kid Gore Shelter

The first thing I did today was walk down the road to The Coffee House, shaking loose the stiffness from traveling yesterday. After coffee and a muffin, I walked back to the motel to reorganize my gear and make a phone call.

Pete drove me to the trailhead at 11:00am, and the weather was already hot and humid. The steep climb up from Route 9 / Woodford Hollow was memorable from last year, and I felt the loss of hiking fitness in my legs and lungs.

The day ended at Kid Gore shelter. I saw a lot of frogs and bugs today, but almost no people. There is a Canadian here section-hiking the Long Trail before doing the Pacific Crest Trail southbound. While we talked briefly, I collected some sticks and twigs and started a fire. The day was hot already, but the smoke helped to keep off the bugs. It was the first fire I’ve built on the Appalachian Trail, and it was a proud moment.

Thoughts of “What am I doing?” crept into my head as I was hiking today. But once in the shelter and wrapped safely in my sleeping bag, with the bugs receding, I felt good. Tired and content. I only burned my fingers a few times. And the views from Kid Gore shelter are the best I’ve seen from a shelter on the Appalachian Trail.