For a second time, the Allenberry has been a great place to stay. Once we awoke from our slumber, I threw in a load of laundry, and we made our way to the breakfast buffet. Their sticky buns lived up to their reputation.
Chris couldn't get ahold of a taxi service willing to come out to Boiling Springs, so we waited in the lobby for his dad to arrive. He graciously gave me a lift back to where we got off the trail. We said our farewells, and I walked back into the woods. It's amazing how fast your perception of the trip changes the moment you go from a hiking troupe, to a single hiker.
It was only 6 miles before I'd be back, yet again, in Boiling Springs. I tried to push my speed back up and get these miles done quickly, using lunch in town as a motivator. It worked. It took me an hour and a half to arrive at the Cafe, and I spent an hour relaxing and eating there. By the time I started moving again it was already 3:30pm, and I had to make haste.
The trail was flat for many miles, which was nice, but also left me with nowhere to camp. I was hiking through corn fields, cow pastures, and meandering over streams. With no other option, I had to do another 14 miles to the next shelter.
I had high hopes that I'd find my trail legs fast, but knew I was also taking a bit of a chance doing that many miles that soon after a long break. It wasn't until the last couple of miles that I would realize it was too far.
The walk was very pretty, and I passed tons of day hikers out with their families. It's a popular area for hiking apparently, and another place where I was treated like a rock star. People honked and waved as driving by, children called out to their parents "Look it's a real hiker!", and old men stopped me to grill me about my experiences. It was a good day for moral, less so for my legs.
I trundled up the last mile back into the cliffs, arriving at the shelter just before it started getting dark. Following me to shelter there were NPR, and Switchback. I've met NPR once before, and heard of Switchback, so it was nice to see some actual thru-hikers again. We all relaxed and complained about aching joints as the sun vanished behind distant cliffs.
Just as I was tucking myself in to get some sleep, I heard a cacophony of scratching noises from somewhere in the darkness of the shelter. Typically I'd chalk this up to just another mouse, but it was so loud that I grabbed my headlamp for a peek. Looking up toward the ceiling I saw what I first thought was a flying squirrel, but quickly realized was a massive sugar glider! I yelled for the other hikers to check it out with me, as the little guy wandered about the beams, and eventually scurried away. I knew sugar gliders were out here (thank you NatGeo AT documentary), but never dreamed I'd see one. Even though my hamstrings, glutes, and lower back were on fire, seeing one of my favorite animals out here in the wild made the long hike worth it. So long as everyday ends with a similar thought, I expect to make it to Katahdin with a smile on my face!
