Kevin's AT Thru Hike

Day 115, Saturday, 7/9 – I slept so well that I thought it was going to be 8:00am when I looked at my phone. Fortunately it was only 6:00am. I ate breakfast, packed up, and was hiking by 7:00am. I started my day in a mood. I was in my head with regrets, guilts, and insecurities. Fortunately, for no particular reason, my mood improved as the day progressed.

I hiked up to a road, and saw a sign for trail magic. I had been really hoping to run into trail magic all day. Rob and Claire greeted me and cooked me up a hot dog and a hamburger. I hung out for an hour or two and chatted with Rob, Claire, Shade, Claus, and Stretch.

I also found some trail magic that I didn’t need, but is worth sharing. Harry is 86 years old and makes hiking poles for hikers in his wood shop.

I left trail magic and continued hiking. I had some awful stomach discomfort all day. I couldn’t buckle my hip belt because of the pain, so my shoulders started to hurt from the weight of the pack. I also took Imodium, but it didn’t eliminate the symptoms that I was hoping it would.

As I was hiking along, a dog came out of nowhere and started growling and barking at me. The owner wasn’t anywhere to be found. I called out, and the owner called the dog back. When I hiked up to them I told the owner that he should have his dog on a leash. He tried to convince me that his dog is friendly. I told him that his dog was growling and barking at me, and it’s inconsiderate to have his dog off leash. The owner responded with attitude.

I generally don’t mind dogs being off leash. I haven’t had a problem with any other dog being off leash throughout the entire hike. But if a dog is aggressively growling and barking, it isn’t friendly, and should be put on a leash.

I don’t mind confrontation, but it changes my mood for sure. It was a trying day. I hiked 24 miles total to South Mount Wilcox Shelters (Mile 1536), and arrived after 8:00pm. I was looking for a hammock spot when I saw Aqua in the shelter. She was excited to see me, and we caught up for a long time. The whole interaction really cheered me up.

In our conversation, Aqua told me her older sister is expecting a child so she is going to be an aunt for the first time! I promised her an apple hat, which I should be getting at the Dalton post office on Monday or Tuesday, so stay tuned for the photo.

The sun had set, so it was getting really dark, and I hadn’t found a hammock spot yet. Cindy came into the shelter and started chatting with us. She’s just getting into backpacking, and is loving it. She told me she had a hammock spot next to her, so I took her up on it. I’m glad she offered because the spot would have been too close to her tent for me to set up there without her blessing. The day ended on a high note.