Bear!

Stickin’ to the White Blazes

Woke to a bit of rain and headed off to Little Laurel shelter. Got there after a mile and was stoked for water. I was a bit paranoid about taking the good weather route over some of the exposed cliffs, but did it anyway, On the walk over the White Rock Cliffs, I met Chaco and Sketch. Chaco hiked in 2008 (same as me) and has probably the saddest story I’ve heard on the AT. In 2008, he hiked with his wife, Injinji until they got off because she broke her leg on the NY/NJ border. In 2009, they went to restart the trail, but got off after 50 miles to find out she had leukemia. Now, in 2011, he is hiking to Maine to spread her ashes on Katahdin. I was blown away by how sad his relationship with the trail is, yet how upbeat and happy he seemed to be out here.

I saw a bear near Hogback Ridge shelter–my first of the trail!