Day 33 on the Trail

Dave called about 8 PM tonight and said he was dead tired.

As of 7/16/11:
Miles today - 14.4
Miles to date - 404  Over 400 miles!!

Dave said the trail elevations were brutal today.  He hiked "straight down" a 1500 foot drop, then up for 1500 feet.  The trail leveled off for a while then went up another 1000 feet. I suspect there is another way to get to the campground other than the way Dave and Country Gold approached it from Mt. Graylock.  There were at least 20 people in and near the campground.  Dave said weekends are always much more crowded with people out for a night or two of camping.  Maybe there is a parking lot nearby!

Some of the younger guys at the shelter where Dave was last night said they were headed to the campground about 5 miles farther than this one - but guess what - they were all in the same spot as Dave tonight.  They said, "We're DONE."  I think Dave feels better when the youngsters are just as whipped as he is.

He realized he had not eaten as much as he needed to for breakfast and lunch. When he starts eating more to fuel up for the rougher New England mountains, he's thinking he may need to add another stop for reprovisioning.  He doesn't like to have to get off the trail.  He still walks a lot to get to a grocery store (or gas station) but those miles don't count and don't get him closer to Mt. Katahdin.  It's important to get enough food, though!

Here are two more pictures from Pyro:

 Dave after yet another rocky climb.

Pyro demonstrating his firemaking wizardry.