From the Journals: DAY 90, May 24

Coach
Kent, CT - Pine Swamp Brook Shelter: 17.0 mi
Hit the trail at Noon. Quickly realized I needed to be careful and take it easy, when I got to an area called St. John's Lodges. It was a steep rocky descent. It is the type of terrain my ankle hates. Met another thru-hiker at the shelter tonight. I pumped him about other thru-hikers we knew. Can't wait to tell the Professor about what I have learned. Tomorrow, I need to push hard to try and make some ground on the Professor.

Professor
Pine Swamp Brook Shelter - Brassie Brook Shelter: 19.6 mi
Day 11 of rain...although, it seems to have cleared up this afternoon which is awesome because I got to the shelter early. It's the first time the sun has stayed out and shining in what feels like weeks! I have all of my stuff airing out over the picnic table (I'm the only one here right now)- My bag and rain gear smell pretty sour from being wet so much without air out time. Hopefully, this will do them some good. My boots and socks especially need this little bit of sunshine; I was crossing a stream with slippery ice-like rocks and fell in almost up to my knees...

The bottoms of my feet still hurt, still feels like someone taped a pebble to the bottoms and forced me to walk on them for miles and miles...they eventually go numb until the last couple of miles in the day when I let my guard down, pretty much anything over 20 miles they hurt no matter what. I've reserved to the fact that this is how it will be the rest of the trip. It's interesting to watch (and feel) what walking almost 1500 miles does to your body.

I think trail hardened is a myth when you are trying to hike the AT in a little over 4 months...more like trail battered.

The solitude of a hike is incredibly rewarding, but I have to admit, hiking the Trail alone can be lonely. I can't think of the last time I could literally count the words on one hand that I spoke in a day. This is the first night of this entire AT experience, from the gear test until now, that it looks like I'll be completely alone.