Wednesday, July 6th

Mt Algo Shelter (1471.1 mi) to Belter’s Campsite (1495.4 mi)

Hiking Miles: 24.3

Total Ascent: 5,236.9 ft

Total Descent: 5,146.7 ft

Total Grade: 426.5 ft/mi

Steps: 55,420

Gator: I got off to an early start by heading out a few hours ahead of Croc to once again maximize our efficiency (and miles). Overall, it was a good hiking day with a mix of terrain (challenging and easy), while we weaved in and out of Connecticut (and New York) a few times. Early on, the terrain was hard on me as I inched my way through a stretch of steep ascents and descents over rock piles..

By mid-morning, I began feeling physically sluggish, and mentally unmotivated. However during that short spell, I did enjoy perhaps one of the best 5-mile stretches on trail, a smooth straightaway with a slow moving stream to my right. In the moment, I stopped to film three fawns “frolicking playfully” (a term I borrowed from Teresa after I sent her a video) and enjoying the cool water. It was calming to watch.

Despite my head start, Croc quickly caught up with me. However, he also commented that he was feeling a bit sluggish. I remember saying how I hoped we hadn’t caught whatever Green had (recall we had last seen him only 4 days ago) back in Virginia. Nonetheless, were fought through lethargy and made good progress throughout the rest of the morning.

By mid-day, we were feeling much better and hiking our average pace. My mind became active and full again with random thoughts. Then out of nowhere, a NOBO hiker came racing past us (interrupt my thoughts), with just enough time to introduce himself. He emphasized that he took 8 “Zero’s” while he stayed in New York”, and was currently trying to hike the entire state of Connecticut in one day. His trail name was “Dijeridoo”, and he was notably FAST. At the pace he was going, we thought we likely would not run into him again. Little did we know……

We ultimately decided to set up camp at a site just up the hill from a breakfast stop called The Mountain Side Cafe in Falls Village. We excitedly planned to hit up the quaint little breakfast stop in the morning.

We met a young solo NOBO hiker named “Chompers” (he recently had dental work performed). He was resting peacefully in his tent, but when he started responding to questions whenever Croc and I asked each other one, we happily invited him out to talk with us. It turns out he had been hiking the entire trail alone, and we immediately sensed his loneliness, and the need to talk with another human. He pointed out that if he hiked 28 miles per day for the remainder of the trail, he could summit Mount Katahdin by August 1st. That said, we all know that 28 miles per day in the Whites and Southern Maine is improbable for the average hiker. Nonetheless, we surmised he was either an overachiever or just simply underestimating the terrain in New Hampshire and Maine. I crashed relatively early tonight, completely ignoring another hiker who set up next to me who wouldn’t stop talking. Sometimes silence works to quiet a rambler, and other times you just hope that you fall asleep before the chatter drives you nuts!

Croc: As Gator mentioned, we got back into our usual routine: Gator leaving early and me following an hour later, trying to catch up. Initially, I thought it would be a long time before we crossed paths because the first few miles involved a lengthy rock scramble. However, the trail soon turned into one of the easiest and most relaxing stretches on the AT. We encountered a truly flat 5-mile section. Not the “relatively flat” terrain of Virginia, which usually involves a series of PUDs (pointless ups and downs), but genuinely flat terrain. It was a casual walk by a river that allowed us both to enjoy the hike again. You can tell from my video how excited I get about the flat sections.

I remember listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on audiobook as I strolled along. During my solo hikes, I typically alternated between music, podcasts, and audiobooks depending on my mood. I’ll get into the specific types of music I listened to later, but generally, I chose more upbeat music for tough climbs or when I needed to pick up my pace, and audiobooks for leisurely hikes, as they slowed me down while I immersed myself in the story. Podcasts were a good change of pace if I got bored with the other options.

Eventually, we reached our campsite. It was nice, but with a few oddities. First, the water source was across the trail in a separate part of the camp and was almost dried out. We had to squish our filters into the questionable water source just to get some water. Second, the privy was a wide-open privy down the campsite trail. And when I say wide open, I mean no walls at all. Imagine a toilet, but in this case a composter, just slightly lifted off the ground. I wasn’t sure how you were supposed to warn people you were there, but luckily no one came by.

As Gator mentioned, we met Chompers, who seemed like a nice addition to our group. He was up for hiking big miles, enjoyed stops along the way, and seemed to be looking for a trail family. Unfortunately, we lost track of him a few days later. Maybe he stuck to his 28 miles a day (probably not), or he didn’t like us and moved on. Another “hiker” camped with us that night who wouldn’t stop talking. I wasn’t convinced he was a thru-hiker since he didn’t seem well-prepared, but he claimed to have hiked a large portion of the trail. This guy kept talking to us even after we went to bed and said goodnight. Even when we stopped answering his questions, he continued to talk. Regardless, I went to bed happy knowing we had a bakery ready for us in the morning!